B 


A 


E  UL  O  GT 


ox    rilK    LATK 


Chancellor  Joseph  Gibson  Hoyt 


WASHINGTON    UNIVERSITY. 


BY 


PROF.  S.  WATERHOUSE. 


Delivered  at  the  Hall  of  the  University,  St.  Louis,  Jan.  20, 186J. 


PHILADELPHIA ; 

J.    B.    LIPPINCOTT     &     CO. 

18G3. 


EULOGY 


»  ON    THE    LATE 


Chancellor  Joseph  Gibson  Hoyt 


WASHINGTON   UNIVERSITY. 


BY 


PROF.  Si^WATERHOUSE. 


Delivered  at  the  Hall  of  the  University,  St.  Louis,  Jan.  30, 1863. 


PIIILADELPniA : 

J.    B.    LIPPINCOTT     &     CO. 
1863. 


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1 


Extract  from  the  Minutes  of  the  Faculty. 


Washington  University,  Nov.  26,  1862. 

Resolved,  Tliat  Prop.  S.  Waterhouse  be  requested  to  prepare 
a  eulogy  on  the  late  Chancellor  Hott,  to  be  delivered  at  the 
earliest  day  convenient  to  himself. 


EULOGY. 


Too  fisv  yap  oudev  aXyoq  a(pezai  i:oz£ 
noX?My  de  fio^i^wv  euxXeijq  ^Tzauaaro. 

Joseph  Gibson"  Hott  was  born  in  Dunbar  ton,  New 
Hampshire,  January  19th,  1815.  He  was  the  son  of 
Joshua  F.  and  Olive  R.  Hoyt.  His  father  was  a 
plain  farmer,  who,  by  prudent  husbandry,  had  ac- 
quired a  competency.  Of  limited  education,  ingenu- 
ous nature,  good  talents,  and  sound  judgment,  he 
thought  more  of  an  honest  life  and  material  success 
than  of  liberal  culture.  That  his  children  should 
lead  lives  of  simple  virtue  and  humble  prosperity 
satisfied  his  highest  aspirations.  From  his  low  esti- 
mate of  the  value  of  education,  the  result  of  his  own 
want  of  culture,  he  was  unwilling  to  send  his  son  to 
college.  He  did  not  deem  education  a  profitable  in- 
vestment. But  at  last  the  father's  pride  was  gratified 
by  the  son's  success,  and  help  came  when  the  youth 
had  proved  his  ability  to  succeed  without  it. 

But  the  mother  was  a  woman  of  brilliant  powers 
and  marked  traits  of  character.  She  was  distin- 
guished for  facility  of  composition  and  a  quaint  orig- 
inality of  expression.  Gifted,  aspiring,  energetic,  and 
pious,  she  was   nobly  ambitious   that   her   children 

(5) 


should  be  conspicuous  for  learning  and  public  useful- 
ness. She  taught  them  to  hate  meanness  and  vice, 
to  love  purity  and  frankness,  and  to  aspire  to  honor- 
able and  virtuous  distinction.  She  impressed  her 
own  qualities  upon  the  plastic  and  susceptible  nature 
of  her  most  gifted  son,  and  exercised  a  decisive  influ- 
ence in  the  formation  of  his  character. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir  \vtis  the  second  of 
nine  children.  In  childhood,  the  charms  of  personal 
beauty  rendered  his  artless  manners  still  more  attrac- 
tive. His  complexion  was  fair,  his  features  finely 
chiseled,  curling  locks  fell  in  golden  masses  around 
his  brow,  and  his  deep-blue  eye  had  a  sweet  and 
tender  beauty  that  is  still  remembered. 

In  his  earliest  years,  Joseph  Gibson  was  noted  for 
quickness  of  apprehension.  Nothing  pleased  him 
more  than  the  printed  page.  He  would  gaze  with 
astonished  delight  upon  the  mysterious  characters, 
and  try  to  decipher  their  hidden  meaning.  He 
seemed  to  regard  a  book  as  something  sacred,  and 
nothing  more  quickly  stirred  his  youthful  indignation 
than  the  mutilation  of  one  of  his  idols.  After  he  had 
learned  to  read,  such  was  his  unremitting  devotion  to 
his  studies  that  his  father  was  often  obliged  to  hide 
his  books  away  from  him.  Ilis  ability  gave  him  an 
easy  pre-eminence  in  scholarship.  In  the  district 
school  which  he  attended,  no  boy  equaled  his  readi- 
ness in  mastering  his  lessons,  or  his  fearlessness  in 
venturing  upon  dangerous  enterprises.  His  intre- 
pidity amounted  to  temerity.  But  his  perilous  adven- 
tures were  never  prompted  by  a  spirit  of  wild  and 
vicious  daring.     His  nature  was  rich  and  exuberant, 


/'' 


vu-^J^/^ 


full  of  buoyant  and  elastic  life.  His  enthusiasm, 
braver}^,  and  kindness  toward  all  made  him  a  natural 
leader.  His  little  mates  loved  to  acknowledge  his 
supremacy.  In  school,  he  was  obedient  and  studious ; 
out  of  doors,  he  was  full  of  all  kinds  of  innocent  frolic 
and  daring.  The  first  scholar  Avas  also  the  best 
wrestler.  Throughout  life  he  retained  his  early  fond- 
ness for  active  sports.  The  dignified  chancellor,  like 
the  Roman  senator,  thought  it  not  beneath  his  posi- 
tion to  participate  in  the  pastimes  of  youth.  Though 
impulsive  and  capable  of  anger,  he  was  full  of  exuber- 
ant and  irrepressible  good  nature.  Even  in  his  sports, 
he  was  careful  not  to  wound  the  feelings  of  his  play- 
mates. He  often  walked  to  church  with  poor  boys 
to  avoid  any  appearance  of  superiority.  He  used  to 
commit  to  memory  long  passages  of  Scripture  for  the 
Sabbath  school,  but  was  unwilling  to  recite  all  he 
had  learned  for  fear  of  mortifying  the  feelings  of  his 
young  classmates. 

In  early  youth,  his  opportunities  for  obtaining  an 
education  were  limited.  Till  he  was  sixteen,  he  was 
able  to  attend  the  public  school  only  three  months 
out  of  the  year;  the  rest  of  the  time  he  worked  on  his 

father's  farm./  In  his  seventeenth  year,  he  attended 

the  academy  at  Hopkinton,  New  Hampshire,  and 
taught  school  the  following  winter  in  Concord,  New 
Hampshire.  This  was  the  commencement  of  his  re- 
markable career  as  a  teacher.  In  his  eighteenth 
year,  he  bade  a  final  adieu  to  the  farm,  and  entered 
the  Teachers'  Seminary,  Andover,  Massachusetts,  to 
study  mathematics.  The  succeeding  winter  he  was 
engaged,  at  the  suggestion   of  Samuel   R.  Hall,  the 


8 

Principal  of  the  Teachers'  Seminary,  to  teach  school 
at  West  Newbury. 

The  circumstances  which  attended  this  selection 
were  highly  creditable  to  Mr.  Iloyt.  The  school  was 
large  and  difficult  to  manage.  The  pupils  took  a 
vicious  pride  in  resisting  the  authority  of  the  in- 
structor. They  had  ejected  several  teachers  from  the 
school-house  with  rude  violence.  But  Mr.  Hoyt  soon 
taught  the  insurgents  a  lesson  of  loyal  obedience  to 
the  constituted  authorities.  Under  his  discipUne  the 
school  was  eminently  successful. 

At  this  period  of  his  life,  the  Rev.  J.  Q.  A.  Egell, 
impressed  with  his  display  of  talents,  urged  him  to  go 
to  college.  Persuaded  by  his  friendly  arguments, 
Mr.  Hoyt  returned  to  the  academy  at  Ilopkinton, 
and  went  through  the  preparatory  course.  He  after- 
ward reviewed  his  academic  studies  at  Andover. 

The  officers  of  the  Normal  School,  and  of  the  Hop- 
kinton  and  Andover  Academies,  soon  detected  Mr. 
Hoyt's  varied  and  extraordinary  capacities  for  in- 
struction, and  employed  him  as  an  assistant  teacher. 
During  his  preparatory  pupilage  he  was  both  student 
and  instructor  in  these  three  institutions.  At  Ando- 
ver, during  the  temporary  absence  of  Professor  Bar- 
ton— who  was  employed  by  the  Government  in  the 
survey  of  the  Northeastern  Boundary — the  youthful 
student  took  charge  of  three  classes  in  mathematics. 
For  four  months  Mr.  Hoyt  discharged  the  duties  of 
professor,  and  at  the  same  time  kept  up  his  own 
studies.  In  the  twofold  and  thrice  sustained  relation 
of  pupil  and  teacher,  neither  the  arduous  duties  of 
instruction  prevented  him  from  attaining  the  fore- 


9 


most  rank  in  his  class,  nor  did  the  familiarity  with 
which  scliolars  are  wont  to  regard  a  fellow-student 
defeat  his  prosperity  as  teacher. 

Before  going  to  college,  Mr.  Iloyt  taught  school  five 
winters,  exclusive  of  his  academic  tuition.  In  all  of 
these  schools  he  exhibited  those  higher  qualities  of  the 
successful  teacher  for  which  he  was  so  distinguished 
in  later  life. 

In  1836  he  entered  Yale  College  without  condi- 
tions. Notwithstanding  the  difhculties  which  had  be- 
set his  academic  course,  his  preparation  was  thorough. 
He  was  distinguished  at  Yale  for  superior  scholarship, 
forensic  ability,  originality  of  thought  and  expression, 
the  strength  of  his  friendships,  and  his  magnetic  power 
over  his  associates.  During  his  collegiate  course  he 
took  prizes  for  excellence  in  mathematical  studies  and 
in  English  composition.  He  was  graduated  with  high 
honors.  His  part  at  Commencement  was  an  oration. 
He  was  sixth  scholar  in  a  class  of  one  hundred.  Of 
his  high  scholarship,  Jeremiah  Day,  who  was  Presi- 
dent of  Yale  while  Mr.  Hoyt  was  a  member  of  that 
institution,  bears  the  following  honorable  testimony: 
"Mr.  Hoyt,"  writes  the  venerable  ex-president,  "was 
a  distinguished  scholar,  being  appointed  an  orator 
for  the  Commencement  day  when  he  was  graduated. 
I  do  not  recollect  for  what  department  of  literature 
and  science  he  was  particularly  partial,  for  he  made 
himself  master  of  all.  He  was  earnestly  devoted  to 
thorough  investigation." 

While  in  college,  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  editors 
of  the  Yale  Literary  Magazine,  and  was  elected,  by  an 
almost  unanimous  vote.  President  of  the  Brothers  in 


M: 


10 

/ 

Unity.  His  articles  in  the  magazine,  and  his  deci- 
sions as  president  of  the  society,  bore  marks  of  un- 
usual ability  and  sound  judgment. 

His  classmates  describe  ISlr.  Iloyt  as  being  very 
fond,  in  his  college  days,  of  social  pleasures,  keen  in 
good-natured  raillery  and  repartee,  and  overflowing 
with  a  wit  whose  comic  and  original  combinations  set 
the  college  table  in  a  roar. 

In  the  spring  of  1840,  Mr.  Hoyt  took  charge  of  an 
academy  at  Plymouth,  New  Hampshire.  His  accept- 
ance of  this  trust  placed  him  at  the  head  of  a  school 
of  two  hundred  scholars.  But  he  was  fully  equal  to 
the  responsibilities  of  his  position.  His  popularity  in 
the  management  of  this  large  institution  was  based 
upon  true  success. 

In  1841  Mr.  Hoyt  was  appointed  Professor  of 
Mathematics  and  Natural  Philosophy  in  Phillips' 
Academy,  Exeter,  New  Hampshire.  He  remained  in 
this  institution  eighteen  years.  It  was  the  scene  of 
his  life-labors.  From  its  classic  halls  a  generation  of 
students  went  forth  into  the  world,  disciplined  by  his 
generous  culture. 

Phillips'  Exeter  Academy  is  one  of  the  very  best 
preparatory  institutions  in  the  land,  and  much  of  its 
excellence  is  due  to  the  improvements  which  Profes- 
sor Hoyt  introduced. 

April  13th,  1842,  Mr.  Hoyt  married  Margarette  T. 
Chamberlain,  of  Exeter.  The  issue  of  this  marriage 
was  a  family  of  six  children,  five  of  whom — three 
sons  and  two  daughters — survive  their  fiither. 

In  1845  Mr.  Hoyt  revised  Colton  s  Greek  Reader, 
and  added  a  new  vocabulary  of  his  own  preparation. 
This  lexicon  is  a  work  of  superior  excellence.     It  was 


11 

composed  with  a  careful  and  scholarly  attention  to 
etymologies,  the  primary  and  secondary  meanings  of 
words,  and  the  order  of  their  derivation. 

In  1851  Mr.  Hoyt  was  a  member  of  the  Convention 
for  the  revision  of  the  State  Constitution,  and  took 
an  important  part  in  the  deliberations  of  that  body. 

In  1858  he  barely  escaped  a  Congressional  nomina- 
tion. Had  he  remained  in  New  Hampshire,  he  would 
undoubtedly  have  been  honored  with  the  highest 
civic  trusts  in  the  gift  of  the  State. 

In  December,  1858,  he  accepted  the  appointment  of 
Chancellor  and  Professor  of  the  Greek  Language  and 
Literature  in  Washington  University,  St.  Louis.  He 
entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  new  position  the  follow- 
ing February,  and  was  formally  inaugurated  October 
4th,  1859. 

In  July,  1859,  he  received  from  Dartmouth  College      .  ■        q 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws.  >  A^^    _ 

In  the  fall  of  1860  Chancellor  Hoyt's  health  began 


to  fail,  and  alarming  symptoms  of  consumption  began     ]  'T;,,^^^ 


to  develop  themselves.  Impelled  by  anxiety  to  re- 
gain his  health,  he  tested  the  virtues  of  various  medi- 
cines and  systems  of  treatment,  breathed  the  pure 
and  bracing  airs  of  Minnesota,  and  tried  the  dry  and 
equable  climate  at  the  head  waters  of  the  Missouri. 
But  all  his  efforts  were  ineffectual.  With  many  illu- 
sions of  improvement  and  recovery,  he  gradually 
sank,  and,  after  a  protracted  illness  of  constant  and 
increasing  suffering,  expired  at  his  residence  in  St. 
Louis,  November  2Gth,  1862. 

In  physical  characteristics.  Chancellor  Hoyt  was  of 
medium  height  and  manly  figure.  His  complexion 
was  light,  and  his  face,  during  all  the  years  of  man- 


1^    ^ 


12 

hood,  wore  the  scholar's  livery  of  thoughtful  paleness. 
But  though  pallid,  he  was  very  strong.  Few  men 
possessed  equal  power  of  muscle.  His  head  was 
large  and  well  rounded,  his  brow  high  and  ample, 
and  his  features  sharply  defined,  and  indicative  of 
keen  perceptions  and  of  great  force  and  marked  indi- 
viduality of  character.  He  was  fortunate  in  the  ac- 
cidents of  physical  constitution.  His  strong  and 
well-balanced  mind  was  united  with  a  sanguine  and 
sensitive  temperament. ,  In  his  happy  organization 
were Jbund^-the'Conditions  most  favorable  to  intel- 
lectual greatness.  His  countenance  was  frank  and 
open,  and  expressions  of  honesty  were  written  in 
plain  and  legible  characters  all  over  his  manly  feat- 
ures. Shortly  after  he  came  to  St.  Louis,  and  while 
he  was  yet  a  stranger  in  our  midst,  he  found  himself 
one  day  at  the  post-office  without  any  change  to  pay 
his  postage.  A  less  direct  and  original  man  would 
have  waited  till  another  occasion.  But  Chancellor 
Hoyt,  as  soon  as  he  discovered  his  poverty,  walked  to 
a  neighboring  stand,  took  off  his  hat,  and  asked  the 
.'^^  I  newsboy  if  he  looked  like  an  honest  man.  "Yes, 
'  sir,"  was   the   quick   and   emphatic   reply.     "Then 

lend  me  a  quarter."  The  honest  face  was  a  sufficient 
i^y  guarantee  of  payment^l  the  boy  trusted  him-,-'tind  was 
^^^        not^the-rotim  of  misplaced  confidence. 

The  presence  of  Chancellor  Hoyt  was  kindly  and 
prepossessing.  The  attraction  of  his  genial  bearing 
extended  far  beyond  the  circle  of  his  immediate 
friends,  and  drew  to  himself,  with  magnetic  gravita- 
tion, large  numbers  of  strangers. 

As  a  citizen  of  Exeter,  Mr.  Hoyt  was  foremost  in 


13 


every  enterprise  of  public  moment.  Every  measure 
for  the  improvement  of  the  town,  for  the  advance- 
ment of  education,  for  the  promotion  of  public  in- 
terests, received  his  efficient  support.  The  beautiful 
school-houses,  the  public  institutions,  and  improved 
appearance  of  that  quiet  village  are  largely  due  to 
his  personal  efforts.  Mr.  Hoyt's  services  in  behalf 
of  popular  education  were  unremitting  and  signally 
beneficial.  With  his  own  hand  he  drafted  the  plan 
of  a  model  school-house,  and  elaborated  all  the  parts 
with  such  niceness  of  detail  as  to  determine,  with 
philosophical  care,  the  angle  of  seat  and  desk  best 
adapted  to  ease  and  health. 

His  plan  was  widely  adopted  in  the  southeastern 
portion  of  the  State,  and  proved  a  blessing  to  many 
youth.  A  thorough  ventilation  prevented  the  head- 
aches and  weariness  caused  by  the  respiration  of 
poisoned  air,  while  the  arrangement  of  seats  and  the 
adaptation  of  rooms  greatly  facilitated  the  labors  of 
teachers.  But  Mr.  Hoyt  was  not  alone  in  his  en- 
deavors to  introduce  school-houses  of  improved  archi- 
tecture. The  merit  of  this  success  is  equally  to  be 
attributed  to  the  practical  suggestions  and  able  co- 
operation of  Judge  French. 

Of  Mr.  Hoyt's  practical  skill  in  drafting,  the  school- 
houses  at  the  East  are  not  the  only  monuments.  The 
design  of  erecting  an  observatory,  and  adding  to  the 
University  buildings  a  new  front  on  AVashington 
Avenue,  originated  with  Mr.  Hoyt;  and  he  even 
sketched  the  details  of  construction.  The  building 
which  he  projected  not  only  contained  all  the  accom- 
modations of  the  present  structure,  but  was  adorned 


14 


with  a  very  beautiful  and  imposing  faQade.  But  the 
funds  of  the  University  did  not  justify  the  adoption 
of  the  pLan  which  good  taste  had  conceived. 

Mr.  Iloyt  strove  to  add  to  tasteful  architecture  the 
charms  of  fine  scenery,  that  the  influences  of  beauty 
might  elevate  the  minds  of  the  pupils,  and  that  the 
memories  of  manhood  might  linger  in  delighted  asso- 
ciation around  the  scene  of  early  instruction.  Pro- 
fessor Hoyt's  efforts  raised  the  standard  of  scholarship 
throughout  the  public  schools  of  the  State.  He  was 
many  years  superintendent  of  the  common  schools  of 
Exeter.  During  his  tenure  of  this  trust,  he  never 
allowed  his  kindliness  of  nature  to  interfere  with  his 
sense  of  duty.  He  never  retained  an  incompetent 
teacher  through  infirmity  of  will  or  indisposition  to 
give  offense.  He  introduced  into  the  public  schools 
of  Exeter  an  improved  classification,  better  systems  of 
teaching,  more  efficient  instructors,  and  roused  pupils 
and  teachers  to  new  activity  by  his  own  fervid  enthu- 
siasm. He  reduced  all  the  different  schools  to  three 
classes — the  primary,  grammar,  and  high  school — and 
prescribed  the  course  of  study  which  is  now  pursued 
in  the  several  grades. 

His  school  reports  were  written  with  a  brilliancy 
and  wisdom  seldom  equalled  in  that  kind  of  litera- 
ture. One  of  these,  in  particular,  was  so  full  of  wit, 
originality,  and  sound  suggestion,  that  the  entire  re- 
port was,  in  some  instances,  copied  by  the  press,  and 
extracts  found  their  way  into  nearly  every  paper  in 
the  land. 

The  High  School  building — one  of  the  chief  orna- 
ments of  Exeter — is  another  enduring  proof  of  Pro- 


15 


fessor  Hoyt's  interest  in  popular  education.  The 
erection  of  this  beautiful  and  well-planned  structure 
was  due  to  his  personal  efforts. 

The  usefulness  of  town  libraries  did  not  escape  the 
observation  of  a  mind  keenly  alive  to  every  means  of 
social  improvement.  Professor  Hoyt  was  active  in 
the  establishment  of  a  public  library  at  Exeter,  and 
helped  by  material  aid  to  fill  its  alcoves  with  sound 
literature,  and  to  afford  to  every  inhabitant  of  the 
village  ampler  opportunities  of  cultivated  enjoyment. 
Remote  generations  of  Exeter  youth  will  bless  the 
memory  of  him  who  placed  within  their  reach  the 
advantages  of  sound  culture. 

In  watching  the  practical  effects  of  the  existing 
system  of  education,  Mr.  Hoyt  soon  observed  that 
teachers,  remote  from  each  other  and  from  the  incite- 
ments of  honorable  competition,  and  often  invited  to 
negligence  by  a  lax  and  incompetent  supervision,  are 
apt  to  lose  their  interest  in  their  professional  duties, 
and  fall  into  habits  of  mere  routine.  Thinking  that 
frequent  conventions  of  teachers  would  counteract 
this  downward  tendency,  Mr.  Hoyt  was  among  the 
first  to  recommend  the  adoption  of  teachers'  institutes. 
The  success  of  the  plan  realized  his  expectations. 
The  institutes  tended  to  test  competency,  to  exact 
higher  qualifications,  to  revive  enthusiasm,  to  impart 
new  systems  of  instruction  and  better  solutions  of 
difficulties,  and  to  subject  teachers  to  more  intelligent 
and  rigorous  surveillance.  The  influence  of  this 
normal  instruction  and  comparison  of  methods  was 
measurably  felt  in  all  the  public  schools  of  the  Com- 
monwealth. 


16 


During  Mr.  Hoyt's  residence  at  Exeter,  he  strenu- 
ously advocated  the  erection  of  a  town  hall.  In  this, 
and  every  other  generous  rivalry  of  public  spirit, 
Hon.  Amos  Tuck  and  Judge  11.  F.  French  were  his 
competitors.  The  combined  eflforts  of  this  friendly 
triumvirate  were  successful,  and  now  a  beautiful  and 
spacious  edifice,  adapted  to  the  political  and  social 
wants  of  the  community,  adorns  the  village. 

He  introduced  into  the  Exeter  Lyceum,  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  ablest  members,  a  device  to  test 
native  talent  and  develop  powers  of  extemporaneous 
speech.  After  the  meeting  of  the  Lyceum,  a  commit- 
tee was  appointed  to  select  the  subject  of  debate  for 
that  evening.  The  disputants  were  chosen  by  lot, 
and  were  subject  to  a  fine  if  they  did  not  speak  five 
minutes  on  the  question  before  the  Society.  To 
guard  against  all  possible  collusion,  the  members  of 
the  committee  were  not  allowed  to  participate  in  the 
discussion.  This  arrangement,  affording  no  oppor- 
tunity for  preparation,  and  throwing  the  debaters 
upon  their  own  resources,  was  not  only  productive  of 
personal  improvement,  but  of  infinite  entertainment. 

Professor  Hoyt's  public  spirit  was  again  manifest  in 
his  efforts  to  beautify  Exeter.  He  loved  trees.  He 
felt  almost  a  personal  affection  for  them.  He  re- 
marked of  himself,  that  "his  knowledge  of  trees  was 
second  only  to  his  acquaintance  with  Greek  and 
mathematics."  The  best  varieties  of  fruit  and  shade 
trees  ornamented  his  grounds;  and  in  the  summer 
season  he  was  wont  to  cultivate  them  with  daily 
labor,  and  with  scientific  care  to  protect  their  growth 
from  the  inroads  of  insects.     One  of  his  ablest  essays 


17 

is  on  this  favorite  subject.  Fifteen  years  ago  he 
urged  the  citizens  of  Exeter  to  adorn  the  town  with 
trees,  and  now  the  villagers  walk  streets  embowered 
in  emerald  beauty  and  cool  with  sylvan  shade.  His 
mortal  remains  now  repose  in  dreamless  slumber 
under  the  tree  which  years  ago  his  own  hand  planted. 
Exeter  owes  a  debt  of  lasting  gratitude  to  the  schol- 
arly citizen  whose  public  spirit  and  liberal  enterprise  .  >  ^^ 
have  contributed  so  much  to  its  improvement^         '^^^^^ — ^ 

One  of  the  first  traits  that  attracts  attention  in  an 
analysis  of  Chancellor  Hoyt's  character  is  his  physi-  / 
cal  and  moral  courage.  His  nature  abounded  in  a 
plentiful  lack  of  cowardice.  An  incapacity  of  fear 
and  great  presence  of  mind  in  danger  carried  him 
safe  through  many  scenes  of  peril. 

When  Mr.  Hoyt  was  at  Dunbarton,  a  party  of 
scholars  went  out  one  day  on  a  bathing  excursion, 
and  one  of  the  number,  while  engaged  in  the  sport  of 
diving,  became  entangled  in  some  sunken  brushwood, 
and  was  in  danger  of  drowning.  The  other  scholars 
were  frightened  and  irresolute,  but  Mr.  Hoyt,  thought- 
less of  personal  exposure,  instantly  swam  to  the  res- 
cue, and,  plunging,  extricated  the  drowning  youth 
from  his  entanglement,  and  tried  to  swim  ashore  with 
him;  but  the  helpless  and  unconscious  burden  weighed 
him  down  beneath  the  waters.  Still  he  did  not  relax 
his  hold,  but  sinking  with  his  friend  dragged  him 
along  the  bottom  of  the  pond.  Twice  he  was  obliged 
to  come  to  the  surface  to  take  breath,  and  twice  he 
returned  to  the  rescue.  At  last,  almost  exhausted 
by  his  exertions,  he  brought  his  schoolmate  safe  to 
<.  2 


18 


land,  and  enjoyed  the  satisfaction  of  having  saved  his 
life. 

When  Mr.  Hoyt  was  in  college,  he  was  grossly  in- 
sulted by  a  student  of  large  and  athletic  frame.  The 
bully  was  disposed  to  take  unfair  advantage  of  his 
physical  superiority;  but  he  suddenly  found  himself 

"  Laid  low, 
With  his  back  to  the  field  and  his  feet  to  the  foe," 

and  learned,  by  personal  chastisement,  the  danger  of 
insulting  a  brave  man.  From  this  time  Mr.  Hoyt 
was  the  acknowledged  champion  of  his  class,  and  no 
one  ever  afterward  ventured  to  test  his  powers  of 
self-defense.  _^^^ — — 

Once  when  Mr.  Hoyt  was  traveling  on  the  Boston 
and  Albany  road,  his  journey  was  interrupted  at 
Springfield  by  the  reparation  of  the  bridge  which 
spans  the  Connecticut  at  that  point.  Mr.  Hoyt,  im- 
patient to  take  the  train  which  stood  in  readiness  on 
the  opposite  bank,  did  not  wait  for  the  slow  ferry,  but 
attempted,  though  encumbered  with  a  heavy  carpet- 
sack,  to  cross  over  the  remnants  of  the  bridge.  His 
pathway  was  long  and  dangerous.  Sometimes  only 
narrow  and  unfastened  timbers,  or  a  single,  unsteady 
plank,  lay  between  him  and  the  broad  waters  of  the 
Connecticut.  It  was  a  feat  calculated  to  test  the 
strongest  nerves.  Hundreds  of  spectators  watched 
his  progress  with  anxious  interest.  But  his  steadi- 
ness and  self-possession  carried  him  safe  across. 

Mr.  Hoyt's  moral  bravery  was  fearless  of  persons 
or  consequences.  In  his  loyalty  to  truth  he  was 
unmoved  by  popular  prejudices  or  the   fashionable 


19 


opinions  of  the  hour.  The  wreck  of  worlds  could  not 
shake  him  from  his  convictions.  His  independence 
almost  exceeded  the  limits  of  prudence.  In  the  per- 
formance of  duty  he  was  utterly  careless  of  human 
opposition.  He  had  no  reverence  for  mere  station. 
Politicians  without  statesmanship,  aristocrats  with- 
out worth,  savans  without  learning,  patriots  without 
loyalty,  were  objects  of  his  unqualified  contempt. 
The  penniless  child  of  want,  enriched  with  wealth  of 
heart  and  head,  stood  far  higher  in  his  esteem  than  a 
profligate  and  senseless  millionaire.  His  erect  man- 
hood could  never  prosper  by  the  thrift  that  follows 
fawning.  In  his  eyes  adversity  did  not  dishonor  vir- 
tue, nor  success  dignify  vice.  With  him  popularity 
was  no  test  of  truth,  nor  were  the  idols  of  the  hour 
the  objects  of  his  worship.  Independent,  fearless, 
and  true  to  his  own  nature,  neither  the  solicitations 
of  interest  nor  the  pressure  of  local  opinions  could 
ever  induce  him  to  desert  the  convictions  of  enlight- 
ened reason. 

I  have  never  known  an  instance  of  more  invincible 
will.  The  powers  of  sickness  could  not  conquer  his 
energy  of  mind.  His  intellect  seemed  clear  to  the 
last  moment  of  life.  He  attended  to  his  professional 
duties  when  he  was  too  weak  to  ascend  the  steps  of 
the  University  without  assistance.  He  revised  his 
essays  for  the  press  when  prostrate  upon  the  fatal 
couch  and  unable  even  to  sit  up  in  bed.  His  hold 
upon  life  was  strong.  The  near  prospect  of  death  at 
times  moved  him  to  tears.  But  it  was  no  mere  at- 
tachment to  sensuous  life  that  occasioned  his  regrets. 
In  many  conversations  he  expressed  a  strong  desire 


20 


to  live,  not  for  the  pleasures  of  sense  or  the  conscious 
joy  of  existence,  but  because  he  thought  he  could  be 
of  service  to  his  family  and  to  society.  He  deplored 
the  sad  fate  which  arrested  the  course  of  life  in  mid 
career,  and  frustrated  all  his  purposes  of  public  use- 
fulness. His  determination  to  live  for  the  sake  of 
doing  good  was  the  secret  of  his  wonderful  tenacity 
of  life.  In  a  human  and  physiological  sense,  his  un- 
conquerable will  repulsed  death  and  added  months  to 
his  term  of  life.  ^ 

Akin  to  this  spirit  of  moral  intrepidity  were  his 
qualities  of  brave  and  tireless  energy.  Defeats  did 
not  discourage  him.  If  obstacles  obstructed  his  path- 
way they  only  strengthened  his  resolution  to  sur- 
mount them.  He  was  determined  to  conquer  success. 
A  nature  thus  assured  of  ultimate  triumph  is  already 
half  victorious. 

His  father's  unwillingness  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  his  education  threw  him  upon  his  own  resources. 
At  Andover  he  earned,  by  manual  toil,  the  means  of 
continuing  his  studies.  In  order  to  appreciate  fully 
the  degree  of  perseverance  which  this  fact  discloses, 
it  is  necessary  to  remember  that  he  not  only  main- 
tained his  position  in  the  front  rank  of  his  class,  but 
was  also  at  the  same  time  an  assistant  teacher  in  the 
Academy.  He  was  thus  performing,  with  an  un- 
usual measure  of  success,  the  threefold  duties  of  stu- 
dent, instructor,  and  manual  laborer. 

At  Yale  he  was  again  dependent,  to  a  great  extent, 
upon  his  own  efforts  for  the  means  of  prosecuting  his 
studies.  Moved  by  pecuniary  considerations,  he  re- 
sorted to  the  novel  economy  of  abridging  his  college 


21 


course.  The  Faculty  granted  him  permission  to  omit 
the  intermediate  year  and  enter  the  Junior  Class,  on 
the  condition  that  he  passed  a  satisfactory  examinar 
tion  in  the  studies  of  the  Sophomore  year.  A  mas- 
tery of  the  studies  pursued  at  Yale  demands  the  best 
talents  and  industry  of  the  students.  But  the  bril- 
liant young  Freshman  assumed  a  double  task,  and 
performed  the  labors  of  the  twofold  course  with  emi- 
nent success.  The  difficulties  of  the  undertaking 
were  increased  by  the  fact  that  the  Sophomore  course 
presupposed  a  knowledge  of  Freshman  studies,  which 
he  had  not  yet  been  over.  Yet  he  fully  maintained 
his  standing  in  his  own  class,  and  prosecuted  success- 
fully the  studies  of  the  Sophomore  year  till  his  eyes, 
impaired  by  excessive  application,  defeated  his  hopes 
in  the  moment  of  victory.  In  the  gloom  of  a  dark- 
ened chamber  he  had  ample  opportunity  to  regret  the 
overtasking  of  his  jjhysical  powers.  His  inflamed 
eyes  were  nature's  protest  against  his  studious  impru- 
dence. Had  it  not  been  for  this  unfortunate  failure 
of  eyesight,  he  would  certainly  have  accomplished  his 
purpose. 

His  professional  career  at  Exeter  furnishes  many 
illustrations  of  his  persistency  of  character.  Phillips' 
Academy,  at  the  time  Mr.  Hoyt  became  connected 
with  it,  lacked  rigid  classification.  He  proposed  to 
reduce  all  the  classes  to  four.  But  it  was  thought 
impolitic  to  disturb,  with  any  untried  innovations,  a 
system  that  had,  with  fair  success,  withstood  the  test 
of  experience.  It  was  alleged  that  students  of  dif- 
ferent capacities  and  various  attainments  could  not 
be  advantageously  subjected  to  so  rigorous  a  classifi- 


00 


cation.  But  the  great  success  which  crowned  the 
final  adoption  of  Professor  Hoyt's  plan  showed  its 
wisdom.  Perhaps  no  one  measure  in  the  history  of 
the  institution  conduced  more  to  the  elevation  and 
excellence  of  the  Academy. 

Prior  to  Mr.  Hoyt's  connection  with  Phillips'  Acad- 
emy, the  students  were  required  to  study  in  the 
building.  The  fatal  objections  to  this  S3'stem  did  not 
long  escape  Mr.  Hoyt's  sagacity.  The  students  were 
too  mature  to  be  treated  like  little  boys.  Subject  to 
all  the  interruptions  and  distractions  of  a  class-room 
in  which  recitations  were  conducted,  the  pupils  neces- 
sarily lost  much  time.  Study  under  the  eye  of  a 
teacher,  Mr.  Hoyt  asserted,  was  unfavorable  to  per- 
sonal independence  and  undirected  research;  yet  it 
was  an  essential  duty  of  educators  to  cultivate  habits 
of  self-control  and  original  investigation.  It  was  the 
policy  of  the  institution  to  dismiss  from  its  halls  all 
those  students  in  whom  a  generous  confidence  could 
not  be  reposed.  The  Academy  was  instituted  for  the 
benefit  of  high-minded  youth  earnestly  engaged  in  the 
work  of  self-culture.  This  temple,  sacred  to  polite 
learning,  should  bear  upon  its  front,  in  a  literature  of 
gold,  the  inspired  command  of  the  Sibyl,  "Procul, 
profani."  Its  shrines  should  not  be  polluted  by  un- 
devout  and  impure  devotees;  merit  and  capacity 
should  be  the  tests  of  admission;  honorable  deport- 
ment and  successful  scholarship  the  conditions  of 
membership.  Good  order  and  manly  conduct  should 
not  be  so  much  the  result  of  coercive  authorit}^  as  of 
moral  principle  and  a  high-toned  sense  of  propriety. 
These  considerations  ultimately  prevailed,  and  the 
change  was  highly  beneficial  to  the  Academy. 


23 


"When  Mr.  Hoyt  first  went  to  Exeter,  he  observed 
that  the  high  price  of  board  in  that  village  was  a 
serious  injury  to  the  Academy.  Education  in  those 
halls  was  too  costly  a  luxury  for  students  of  moderate 
means.  The  consequence  was  that  the  members  of 
the  Academy  were  mostly  from  two  widely  divergent 
conditions  in  life.  The  sons  of  the  wealthy  were  sent 
for  the  sake  of  nominal  distinction,  while  indigent 
students  came  to  secure  the  cheap  culture  which  the 
charity  foundations  furnished ;  but  the  middle  class, 
possessing  a  mere  competency,  and  independently 
paying  their  own  way,  could  not  afford  this  expen- 
sive education.  To  remedy  this  defect.  Professor 
Hoyt  strongly  urged  the  erection  of  a  commons  hall. 
This  plan  did  not  originate  with  him,  but  its  success- 
ful execution  was  greatly  facilitated  by  his  earnest  ex- 
ertions. A  building,  named  Abbot  Hall,  was  erected, 
with  accommodations  for  fifty  students.  The  new 
arrangement  reduced  the  price  of  board  one-half,  and 
at  once  brought  into  the  Academy  a  new  class  of  stu- 
dents. Prior  to  this,  the  influence  of  the  rich  mem- 
bers, who  are  not  generally  the  most  studious  and 
exemplary  pupils,  withheld  the  Academy  from  its 
highest  excellence.  But  the  honorable  and  aspiring 
youth  who  now  entered  its  halls  set  an  example  of 
manly  bearing  and  earnest  study,  which  controlled 
the  public  sentiment  of  the  school,  stimulated  wealthy 
idlers  to  greater  industry,  shamed  the  vicious  into 
better  habits,  and  contributed  largely  to  the  fame  and 
usefulness  of  the  institution. 

But  most  of  these  reforms  were  strenuously  opposed. 
Year  after  year  the  measures  which  have  since  proved 


24 

so  beneficial  were  voted  down.  Yet  Professor  Hoyt 
renewed  his  eflbrts  till  ultimate  success  rewarded  his 
perseverance.  Only  an  energy  ignorant  of  defeat, 
and  persistent  under  the  discouragements  of  repeated 
failure,  could  have  achieved  these  victories.  I  do  not 
wish  to  convey  the  impression  that  Mr.  Hoyt  origin- 
ated all  of  these  reforms,  or  that  he  was  the  sole  cause 
of  their  introduction.  He  had  able  coadjutors  in  Dr. 
Soule,  Hon.  Amos  Tuck,  Dr.  Peabody,  and  other 
members  of  the  Faculty  and  Board  of  Trust.  But 
the  representations  which  have  reached  me  since  Mr. 
Hoyt's  death — upon  which  my  own  statements  are 
leased — leave  no  doubt  that  he  was  the  most  active, 
untiring,  and  efficient  advocate  of  those  measures 
which  have  raised  Phillips'  Exeter  Academy  almost 
to  the  level  of  our  colleges. 

Chancellor  Hoyt  was  master  of  all  the  higher  arts 
and  noble  secrets  of  discipline.  The  remark  which 
he  made  of  Dr.  Abbot  is  eminently  true  of  himself — 
no  one  better  understood  the  nature  of  young  men. 
With  native  skill  he  swept  the  lyre  of  the  human 
heart  and  held  its  chords  in  easy  mastery.  He  sym- 
pathized deeply  with  his  students.  His  own  experi- 
ence was  too  fresh  in  his  mind  for  him  to  forget  the 
trials  and  temptations,  the  labors  and  joys  of  student 
life.  He  made  no  pretensions  to  learning  he  did  not 
possess.  If  he  made  a  mistake,  he  frankly  confessed 
it.  Such  intellectual  candor  always  commands  the 
admiration  of  ingenuous  youth.  No  motives  of  per- 
sonal partiality  ever  led  him  from  strict  justice  in  his 
treatment  of  students.  Neither  wealth  nor  social 
position   ever    shielded    an   offender    from   deserved 


25 


punishment.  He  was  animated  by  a  strong  and 
unaffected  desire  to  benefit  and  befriend  students. 
Their  personal  welfare  was  always  the  object  of  his 
friendly  solicitude.  His  keen  wit  enlivened  the  so- 
briety of  the  class-room,  and  his  happy  faculty  of  illus- 
tration elucidated  every  obscurity.  His  fresh  and 
varied  scholarship,  instinct  with  learned  enthusiasm 
and  vital  with  practical  applications,  inspired  his  stu- 
dents with  a  new  and  deeper  devotion  to  learning, 
and  a  generous  emulation  of  his  example.  His  rich 
and  rigorous  instruction  reared,  firm  and  enduring, 
the  architecture  of  an  elegant  and  ample  scholarship. 
Thus  he  controlled  students  by  the  influence  of  a 
manly  character,  and  by  the  fine  magnetism  of  a 
noble  and  gifted  nature.  Under  his  tuition,  pupils 
became  too  manly  for  mean  pranks,  or  forgot  their 
disposition  to  mischief  in  their  devotion  to  study. 
He  stimulated  scholars  to  studious  toil  by  no  system 
of  rewards  and  punishments,  but  impressed  upon 
them  the  priceless  value  of  culture  and  the  duty  of 
self-development.  His  students,  though  subjected  to 
strict  discipline,  were  almost  unconscious  of  control, 
and  their  sense  of  personal  independence  was  not 
offended  by  a  rude  exercise  of  authority.  Yet  Mr. 
Hoyt,  with  all  his  native  kindliness,  was  capable  of 
strong  indignation.  In  his  intercourse  with  youth, 
he  alwaj^s  appealed  to  their  nobler  instincts,  and  re- 
posed trust  in  their  sense  of  honor.  Grief,  speedy 
and  poignant,  overtook  any  betrayal  of  that  confi- 
dence. Frank  himself,  he  hated  deceit  in  others. 
Whenever  any  unmanly  act  provoked  his  censure,  he 
was  wont  to  give  the  offender  what  he  quaintly  called 


26 

"a  specimen  of  extemporaneous  eloquence,"  and  it 
was  a  kind  of  rhetoric  strikingly  calculated  to  touch 
the  feelings  and  linger  in  the  memory  of  the  hearer. 
The  student  was  very  apt  to  be  content  with  one 
specimen  of  this  oratory. 

Chancellor  Iloyt  greatly  admired  Dr.  Arnold,  and 
unostentatiously  emulated  his  career.  His  profession 
led  him  to  reflect  deeply  upon  the  problems  of  educa- 
tion, and  his  own  system  of  instruction  indicated  his 
solution.  Like  the  great  teacher  of  Rugby,  he  thought 
any  system  of  education  radically  defective  which  did 
not  make  true  manliness  the  prime  object  of  culture. 
He  believed  that  vice  became  more  dangerous  by  cul- 
tivation, that  scholarship  should  only  grace  manly 
virtues,  that  nobility  of  character  should  be  the  pri- 
mary condition  of  admission  to  literary  institutions, 
that  only  pure  worshipers  were  entitled  to  enter  the 
temple  of  learning.  In  intellectual  discipline,  he  con- 
sidered it  of  far  higher  importance  to  teach  the  mind 
habits  of  accurate  thought  than  to  crowd  the  memory 
with  facts.  Beyond  any  teacher  I  have  ever  known 
— with  perhaps  a  single  exception — he  had  the  faculty 
to  kindle  enthusiasm  in  students,  to  reconcile  them, 
by  the  attractions  of  his  instruction,  to  the  toils  of 
scholarship,  to  develop  powers  of  reasoning,  to  quicken 
the  present  sense  of  dut}^  by  truths  twenty  centuries 
old,  and  to  show  that  the  thoughts  of  the  dead  past 
are  yet  instinct  witli  life  and  wisdom,  and  applicable 
still  to  the  conditions  of  human  society. 

Chancellor  Hoyt  had  great  powers  of  acquisition. 
He  was  capable  of  close  and  protracted  application. 
His  mind  possessed  an  intuitive  quickness  of  appre- 


27 

hension.  A  distinguished  judge  mentions  his  fond- 
ness for  law  cases,  and  the  professional  acumen  with 
which  he  at  once  comprehended  difficult  technical 
points.  Mr.  Hoyt  possessed  those  high  natural  qua^- 
ties  and  adaptations  of  mind  which  especially  fitted 
him  to  succeed  in  the  walks  of  law  or  statesmanship. 
His  investigations  were  rapid  and  exhaustive.  At 
the  time  he  thought  of  going  to  Cuba  to  try  the  vir- 
tues of  a  tropic  climate,  he  learned  the  Spanish  lan- 
guage in  one  month,  so  that  he  read  it  with  the  same 
facility  that  he  did  Latin.  With  the  true  instinct  of 
genius,  he  always  perceived  the  essential  points  of  a 
subject,  and  marshaled  his  facts  about  them. 

His  learning  became  a  part  of  his  intellectual  being, 
and  circulated  in  the  currents  of  mental  life.  All  his 
knowledge  was  ready  for  instant  use.  His  various 
scholarship  was  kept  organized  and  disciplined  for 
immediate  action.  He  perceived  the  subtile  relation- 
ship of  apparently  unconnected  truths,  and  summoned 
remote  fiicts  to  the  common  defense  of  right  or  over-  ^  . 

throw  of  wrong.  "  ^  hd^^X 

'  Chancellor  Hoyt's  scholarship  was  rich  and  accu-  '~\ 
rate.  His  special  devotion  to  Greek  arose  from  the 
accidents  of  his  position  at  Exeter;  the  natural  sci- 
ences were  his  favorite  studies.  He  was  a  natural 
mathematician.  His  inborn  aptitude  for  mathemat- 
ical studies  showed  itself  everywhere.  At  school  and 
in  college,  his  intuitive  perception  of  mathematical 
truths  and  relations  gave  him  an  easy  eminence  in 
the  science  of  calculation.  He  once  told  me  that  he 
never  tried  a  problem  that  he  did  not  solve,  but  im- 
mediately added,  with  a  humor  that  never  deserted 


28 

him,  that  he  was  careful  not  to  try  the  hardest  ones. 
An  extravagant  statement  was  quickly  reduced  to  the 
dimensions  of  truth  by  the  merciless  logic  of  figures. 
^e  tried  everything  by  the  stern  test  of  numbers.  If 
you  should  meet  him  ujion  the  street  on  a  cold  win- 
ter's day,  and  ask  him  how  many  shingles  it  would 
take  to  cover  a  roof  of  irregular  shape  and  varying 
angles,  he  would  forget  external  cold  in  the  ardor  of 
calculation.  Nor  would  he  keep  you  long  in  shiver- 
ing expectation  of  an  answer.  Proficients  in  figures, 
with  the  advantage  of  pencil  and  paper,  often  found 
themselves  perplexed  by  problems  which  he  solved 
by  quick  processes  of  mental  arithmetic.  Teachers, 
lawyers,  and  judges  sought  the  aid  of  his  mathemat- 
ical ability.  On  one  occasion  Professor  Iloyt  recom- 
mended to  the  citizens  of  Exeter  the  erection  of  a 
large  and  expensive  school-house.  A  public  meeting 
was  called,  and  the  plan  was  violently  opposed.  The 
opponents  of  the  measure  dwelt  upon  the  magnitude 
of  the  sum  to  be  raised,  and  the  heavy  burden  the 
assessment  would  impose  upon  the  poor  tax-papers. 
At  last,  when  the  project  seemed  certain  to  fiiil,  Pro- 
fessor Hoyt  rose,  and  quietly  stated  the  valuation  of 
the  town,  the  amount  of  taxable  property,  the  num- 
ber of  ratable  polls,  and  the  cost  of  the  proposed  build- 
ing; then,  going  to  the  board,  he  "ciphered  out,"  in 
the  presence  of  the  voters,  the  exact  sum  which  each 
poll  would  have  to  pay.  And  when  it  was  shown,  by 
mathematical  demonstration,  that  the  humblest  citizen 
would  have  to  contribute  only  twenty-five  cents,  in 
order  to  enjoy  the  privilege  of  educating  his  children 
in  a  more  healthful  and  elegant  school -house,  the 
measure  was  carried  almost  by  acclamation. 


29 


His  memory  of  figures  was  truly  wonderful.  He 
rarely  dealt  in  round  numbers,  because  it  was  equally 
easy  to  cite  the  precise  figures.  Wlien"lie-was  a^mem- 
ber  of  the  Convention,  he_x)ften  surprised  that  body  by 
the-extent  and  accuracy  of  his  statistical  information? 
In  college,  Mr.  Hoyt  aspired  to  the  highest  mathemat- 
ical honors  of  his  class.  There  was  but  one  student 
who  could  endanger  his  supremacy;  and  the  growing 
reputation  of  his  rival  must  have  touched  his  sensi- 
tive ambition.  But  his  bosom  was  not  the  residence 
of  mean  jealousies;  and,  instead  of  cherishing  secret 
feelings  of  envy,  Mr.  Hoyt  went  to  the  room  of  his 
competitor,  and  asked  to  see  his  solutions.  Struck 
with  the  proofs  of  superior  mathematical  genius  and 
with  the  scientific  precision  and  simplicity  of  his  de- 
monstrations, the  ingenuous  Freshman,  with  a  nobility 
of  soul  that  mingles  love  with  our  admiration,  at  once 
acknowledged  the  pre-eminence  of  his  rival.  His  de- 
feated hopes  found  solace  in  generous  and  appreciative 
recognition  of  excellence.  This  pleasant  incident,  so 
honorable  to  both  parties,  strengthened  a  slight  and 
casual  acquaintance  into  a  warm  and  life-long  attach- 
ment. To  this  magnanimity  and  friendship  Washing- 
ton Universitj^  owes  one  of  its  brightest  ornaments.  __ 

Chancellor  Hoyt  was  a  growing  and  progressive 
man.  His  interest  in  life  expired  only  with  his 
breath.  His  aggressive  and  acquisitive  studies  were 
constantly  adding  new  fields  to  his  intellectual  estate, 
and  opening  broader  views  over  the  landscapes  of 
knowledge.  His  mind  never  lost  its  early  elasticity 
and  power  of  acquisition.  He  kept  up  with  the  prog- 
ress of  positive  science  and  of  speculative  philosophy. 


30 

His  power  of  strong  and  wholesome  assimilation  incor- 
porated every  nutritive  fact  into  the  very  structure  of 
his  mind,  and  strengthened  every  faculty  into  vigor- 
ous and  healthful  activity.  He  was  never  afllicted 
with  symptoms  of  ossification — no  cabinet  of  fossils 
could  claim  him.  He  was  a  thoroughly  live  man, 
vital  in  every  part,  warm  with  glowing  interest  in 
every  enterprise  for  the  improvement  of  mankind, 
and  quickened  with  active  sympathy  for  every  form 
of  human  misery. 

The  most  conspicuous  intellectual  trait  of  Chancel- 
lor Hoyt  was  sound  sense.  An  exclusive  devotion  to 
learning  is  apt  to  unfit  men  for  business  and  practical 
judgment;  but  the  Chancellor  did  not  lose  the  homely 
virtue  of  common  sense  in  the  retired  pursuits  of  polite 
study.  "What  first  arrests  attention  in  his  writings  is 
not  the  sinewy  vigor  of  his  style,  but  the  solid  wis- 
dom of  his  thoughts;  and,  in  his  social  intercourse, 
he  appeared  to  be  less  a  scholar  than  a  sagacious  and 
thoughtful  man  of  the  world.  His  ideas  on  general 
subjects  were  liberal  and  catholic.  He  never  nar- 
rowed his  mind  to  mere  selfish  or  partial  views.  Con- 
servative of  whatever  has  the  sanctions  of  time,  he 
yet  belonged,  by  constitution  and  temperament,  to  the 
progressive  school  of  thinkers.  Impelled  by  his  impa- 
tience of  present  evils,  he  zealously  advocated  every 
judicious  reform. 

Chancellor  Hpyt  was  a  man  of  brilliant  wit.  This 
power,  dangerous  in  the  hands  of  those  who  love  the 
Hash  and  the  stroke,  careless  of  the  wounds  they  in- 
flict, was  only  used  by  him  to  grace  the  gentle  otfices 
of  friendship  or  promote  the  ends  of  truth.     No  mere 


31 


wanton  love  of  display  ever  led  him  to  pain  the  sensi- 
bilities of  his  friends.     From  their  bosoms,  his  wit 

"Ne'er  bore  a  heart-stain  away  on  its  blade;" 

but  it  fell  keen  and  trenchant  upon  all  the  enemies  of 
virtue.  The  wit  which  shed  a  genial  glow  over  all 
the  innocent  pursuits  of  life,  hurled  its  scathing  light-^ 
nings  full  on  the  head  of  all  dishonor  and  injustice. 
His  wit  usually  contained  an  argument.  In  the  old 
Swampscot  House  at  Exeter,  the  drinking  saloon  oc- 
cupied the  most  prominent  and  accessible  room  on  the 
ground-floor.  After  this  building  was  burned,  a  new 
hotel  was  erected  on  the  same  site,  in  which  the  bar- 
room was  placed  in  the  basement.  Mr.  Hoyt  said  the 
change  was  a  wise  one,  but  that  the  bar-room  should 
have  been  sunk  fifty  feet  lower,  on  the  architectural 
principle  that  the  porch,  and  the  edifice  into  which  it 
leads,  should  be  as  near  together  as  possible.  Of  the 
wit  which  produced  explosive  laughter,  the  sobriety 
of  this  occasion  will  not  permit  me  to  give  illustrar 
tions. 

Chancellor  Hoyt  excelled  in  powers  of  ready  argu- 
ment and  lucid  statement.  His  mind  was  as  clear  as 
a  diamond;  and  it  had, 

"With  the  flash  of  the  gem,  its  solidity  too." 

His  skill  in  maintaining  a  theory  was  remarkable. 
Sometimes,  in  social  sport  and  mere  wantonness  of 
logic,  he  would  defend  some  wretched  fallacy;  but, 
under  his  treatment,  the  outcast  became  respectable, 
and  assumed  the  garb  of  reason.     In  public  discus- 


32 


sion,  his  strength  of  argument,  facility  of  expression, 
original  wit,  and  ready  improvement  of  passing  inci- 
dents, rendered  him  a  powerful  and  popular  speaker. 
It  is  no  friendly  exaggeration  of  his  forensic  abilities 
to  say  that  he  never  made  a  speech  that  was  not  a 
signal  success.  I  have  often  heard  him  on  festal  and 
serious  occasions,  but  never  without  fresh  admiration 
of  his  "incisive  logic,"  his  clear  and  comprehensive 
views,  his  novel  combinations  of  familiar  facts,  and 
his  creative  energy  of  thought  and  diction.  At  Yale, 
he  was  among  the  foremost  debaters  in  college.  It  is 
a  custom  at  Yale  for  each  Society  to  elect  an  orator, 
to  present  its  claims  before  the  Freshmen.  Mr.  Hoyt 
was  chosen  to  speak  in  behalf  of  the  Brothers  in  Unity. 
The  point,  felicity,  and  fervor  of  his  address  made  an 
impression  on  the  minds  of  his  fellow-students,  which 
the  lapse  of  twenty  Lethean  years  has  not  efliiced.  In 
extemporaneous  debate,  he  had  a  remarkable  faculty 
of  exciting  interest  in  his  subject,  and  of  breathing  a 
warm  and  generous  life  into  the  inanimate  learning  of 
bygone  ages.  He  could  command  at  will  the  resources 
of  ridicule  and  sarcasm,  of  argument  and  impassioned 
declamation. 

The  main  characteristics  of  Chancellor  Iloyt's  style 
are  clearness  and  energy.  The  current  of  thought  is 
full,  clear,  and  rapid.  Vigor  was  the  happy  necessity 
of  his  intellectual  organization.  His  mind  found  nat- 
ural utterance  in  no  other  form  of  expression.  His 
writings  are  full  of  the  trophies  of  intellectual  con- 
quest. They  are  crowded,  too,  with  quick  and  allec- 
tionate  recognitions  of  the  beautiful  in  nature  and  the 
poetic  in  art. 


33 


Chancellor  Hoyt  never  wore  a  mask  nor  trod  the 
tragic  bivskin.  He  said  common  things  in  a  simple 
way.  His  style  was  adapted  to  his  subject,  and  rose 
with  the  grandeur  of  the  theme.  Sometimes,  how- 
ever, his  hate  of  pedantry  and  love  of  point  led  him 
to  borrow,  from  the  speech  of  daily  life,  homely  illus- 
trations, and  expressions  more  remarkable  for  vigor 
than  elegance.  But  good  taste  was  not  often  sacri- 
ficed to  energy.  Mr.  Hoyt  wrote  on  a  great  variety 
of  subjects.  Politics,  education,  music,  agriculture, 
criticism,  tile-draining,  potatoes,  and  insects  are  some 
of  the  topics  that  engaged  his  fruitful  pen.  He  was 
a  frequent  contributor  to  the  pages  of  the  North  Amer- 
ican Review.  During  the  last  ten  years  of  his  resi- 
dence at  the  East  he  delivered  public  lectures.  Not- 
withstanding the  confinement  of  his  professional  duties, 
he  sometimes  lectured  twenty-five  times  in  the  course 
of  a  single  winter.  Normal  Schools  and  Teachers' 
Institutes  often  engaged  the  service  of  his  vigorous 
pen. 

Mr.  Hoyt  was  fond  of  showing  his  productions  to 
his  friends,  for  the  sake  of  their  criticism ;  and  a  good 
suggestion,  though  it  emanated  from  the  humblest 
source,  was  always  adopted.  He  discussed  whatever 
subject  he  touched  with  strong  sense,  and  enriched  it 
with  a  wealth  gathered  in  the  mines  of  learning.  He 
was  a  mineralogist  in  the  placers  of  knowledge.  He 
knew  where  the  auriferous  deposits  lay.  His  scholar- 
ship grew  rich  by  prosperous  mining  and  original 
speculation.  Some  classic  allusion,  some  apposite 
quotation,  some  unexpected  application  of  philosophy 

3 


34 


showed  that  a  man  of  culture  and  sense  was  treating 
the  theme. 

Chancellor  Iloyt  was  a  man  of  poetic  sensibilities. 
In  his  writings,  we  occasionally  meet  passages  fragrant 
with  the  bloom  and  flowerage  of  poetry.  His  illus- 
trations are  often  ornate  with  images  of  rich  and  orig- 
inal beauty.  His  imagination  wandered  amid  loveli- 
ness of  its  own  creation.  His  word-pictures  sometimes 
have  a  Titian  depth  of  coloring.  He  had  an  aesthetic 
taste.  His  eye  lingered  with  delight  upon  the  gentle 
beauty  of  the  llower,  the  pomp  of  sunset  glory,  the 
wald  grandeur  of  mountain  scenery.  The  voices  of 
nature,  unheard  by  common  ears,  spoke  to  him  with 
Naiad  eloquence.  He  loved  the  sweet  harmonies  of 
music.  He  hud  listened  with  a  sense  of  exquisite 
satisfaction  to  the  matin  orisons  of  birds;  the  sweet 
undertones  in  which  enamored  winds  whisper  to  the 
trees;  "the  quiet  evening  tune  of  the  w^aterfall,  not 
heard  by  day;  and  the  voices,  now  hushed,  which 
once  sang  around  the  ample,  ever-blazing  hearth- 
stone." What  a  sweet  and  tender  appreciation  of 
nature  breathes  through  the  following  passage: — 

"Shakspeare  has  said  there  are  ^tongues  in  trees.' 
To  the  truth  of  this  assertion  of  the  great  poet  we 
yield  our  willing  testimony,  for  we  have  often  heard 
them  speak  ourselves.  Tiieir  tongues  are  the  expand- 
ing bud  of  spring  and  the  sere  and  yellow  leaf  of 
autumn.  Their  teachings  are  for  all.  Their  sound 
has  gone  into  all  the  earth.  The  lone  pine,  which 
kindly  overshadowed  our  youthful  pastimes,  was  wont 
at  the  sunset  hour  to  whisper  to  us,  as  with  a  spirit's 
voice,  and  tell  us  strange  tales,  which  we  shall  not 


35 


soon  forget.  In  the  far-reaching  aisles  of  our  sunless 
forests,  too,  we  have  often  listened  to  the  deep  and 
varied  tones,  till  we  have  ceased  to  wonder  that  the 
sacred  oaks  of  Dodona  were  living,  speaking  oracles 
to  the  simple-minded,  nature-loving  Greeks.  But  na- 
ture speaks  not  merely  in  the  tree.  She  has  a  thou- 
sand voices.  She  may  be  heard  in  the  harsh  tones  of 
the  live  thunder,  and  in  the  nameless  yet  delicious 
harmonies  of  a  summer's  evening;  in  the  sepulchral 
moanings  of  the  night -wind  that  wails  around  our 
window,  and  in  the  morning  melody  of  merry  birds; 
in  the  tireless  tossings  of  the  dark-blue  ocean,  and  in 
the  cheerful  murmurings  of  the  loquacious  brook;  in 
the  lowing  herds  on  the  hill-side,  and  in  the  song 
which  comes,  like  angel  music,  from  some  happy 
heart." 

Mr.  Hoyt's  mind  was  richly  stored  with  the  treas- 
ures of  poetry.  Indeed  he  sometimes  wrote  poetry 
himself  The  following  lines,  from  verses  which  Mr. 
Hoyt  wrote  on  the  death  of  a  young  lady,  breathe 
the  hopes  of  an  immortal  faith,  and  stir  meditations 
within  us  which  console  our  present  grief. 

"  This  life  is  but  a  vapor  wreath, 
Illumed  with  morning's  golden  light ; 
A  silver  stream,  whose  cooling  flow 
The  bending  reed  and  flower  laves ; 
A  fragile  harp,  whose  tuneful  strings 
Are  gently  swept  by  zephyr's  breath ; 
So  frail  a  thing  is  human  life; 
How  slight  a  boon  for  God  to  give, 
If,  with  the  dying  spirit's  frame. 
Thought  and  affection  cease  to  live. 


36 

"  Bat  no !  the  harp,  new-toned  above, 
Shall  bend  in  music  with  the  throng 
"Whose  lofty  anthems  ever  rise 
Amid  a  glorious  world  of  song, 
0 !  think  not  that  the  life  is  lost, 
Which  wanders  from  your  sight  afar ; 
The  star,  though  hid  behind  the  cloud, 
Is  still  a  bright  and  shining  star," 

Mr.  Hoyt  had  made  the  great  master  of  English 
tragedy  the  subject  of  profound  study.  Though 
reared  on  a  farm,  with  few  early  opportunities  of 
elegant  culture,  yet  when  in  college  he  seemed  to 
know  Shakspeare  by  heart.  Every  incident  of  daily 
life,  whether  of  a  grave  or  festive  character,  brought 
an  apt  quotation  to  his  lips.  It  was  the  custom  of 
the  presidents  elect  of  the  Brothers  in  Unity  to  de- 
liver to  the  Society  an  elaborate  address.  But  Mr. 
Hoyt,  instead  of  following  the  precedent,  simply  said, 
"  Brothers,  you  have  taken  me  by  surprise.  I  have 
no  speech  ready.     I  can  only  tell  you  that 

'  I  am  no  orator — 

But,  as  you  know  me  all,  a  plain,  blunt  man, 
That  love  my  friend  ;  and  that  they  know  full  well 
That  gave  me  public  leave  to  speak' — 

I  will  do  the  best  I  can  to  serve  you,"  The  members 
showed  their  appreciation  of  the  pertinent  and  happy 
quotation  by  expressions  of  hearty  applause. 

The  intluence  of  his  poetic  studies  is  visible  in 
Chancellor  Hoyt's  writings.  No  man  can  touch 
Shakspeare  without  improvement.  By  this  antean 
contact  of  mind  the  faculties  are  strengthened.  What 
the  Chancellor  said  of  the  study  of  the  classics  is 
equally  true  of  the  study  of  Shakspeare.     "  We  can- 


37 


not  wander  through  Sabean  groves  of  bloom  without 
catching  the  perfume  in  our  dress;  we  cannot  'sit 
down  to  a  symposium  with  the  gods  and  rise  from  the 
banquet  wholly  mortal.' "  Communion  with  Shak- 
speare's  master  mind  imparted  to  Mr.  Hoyt's  style  a 
grace  and  Saxon  purity  of  expression.  He  caught 
from  this  ennobling  intimacy  elegance  and  dignity  of 
intellectual  bearing. 

But  logic  was  the  imperial  faculty  of  his  mind;  and 
the  sovereign,  jealous  of  rivals,  often  suppressed  the 
rising  imagination.  The  ascendency  of  the  reasoning 
powers  was  unfavorable  to  the  development  of  creative 
fancy. 

There  was  in  Chancellor  Hoyt  a  rare  combination 
of  abstruse  science  and  poetic  imagination.  These 
qualities,  so  opposite  and  so  seldom  united,  gave  rich- 
ness and  varied  charms  to  his  intellectual  character. 
His  mental  pathway  did  not  wind,  with  intentional 
deviations,  among  flowery  meads,  till  the  traveler, 
fatigued  with  beauty,  became  weary  of  the  way.  But 
the  road  led  with  logical  directness  to  its  destination; 
and  the  flowerets  by  the  wayside  delighted,  while 
they  did  not  delay,  the  journey.  His  thought  was 
never  crushed  with  Tarpeian  accumulations  of  orna- 
ment ;  the  glitter  of  spear  and  buckler  only  made  his 
sturdy  logic  more  formidable. 

It  was  fortunate  for  the  University  that  Chancellor 
Hoyt  was  endowed  with  such  various  gifts.  It  is  sel- 
dom that  a  scholar  is  distinguished  in  more  than  one 
department  of  study.  His  talent  for  mathematics 
was  his  highest  gift ;  but  yet  he  was  one  of  the  best 
practical    teachers   of    Greek   I    have   ever   known. 


There  are  doubtless  men  in  the  country  more  learned 
in  Hellenic  lore,  but  I  have  never  met  a  scholar  who 
united  in  a  higher  degree  rich  Greek  learning  with 
remarkable  capacity  for  instruction.  This  combina- 
tion of  science  and  literature  is  of  the  highest  value 
to  the  head  of  a  university.  His  various  scholarship 
enabled  the  Chancellor  to  determine  for  himself  the 
proportionate  importance  which  each  department 
ought  to  assume  in  a  symmetrical  system  of  study. 
Nor  was  the  Chancellor  obliged  to  rely  upon  the 
fidelity  and  supposed  competency  of  his  brother  offi- 
cers; his  own  knowledge  was  adequate  to  decide  upon 
their  qualifications  and  the  measure  of  their  success. 
His  native  judgment,  strengthened  by  long  experi- 
ence in  practical  instruction,  and  his  wide  range  of 
study  peculiarly  fitted  him  to  co-ordinate  departments 
into  their  due  relations,  and  to  mature  a  system  of 
university  education  adapted  to  the  conditions  of 
Western  life;  and  his  high  administrative  abilities  en- 
abled him  to  carry  into  successful  execution  the  plans 
which  his  sagacity  had  originated. 

Chancellor  Iloyt  devoted  much  time  and  reflection 
to  affairs  of  public  moment.  The  Federalist  was  one 
of  his  favorite  books.  Few  statesmen  in  the  laud 
were  more  deeply  read  in  the  works  of  Hamilton, 
Madison,  and  Jefierson.  He  was  intimately  conver- 
sant with  the  history  and  philosophy  of  our  govern- 
ment. His  political  views  were  broad  and  sagacious. 
Already  some  of  his  politicaj  prophecies  have  become 
history.  Many  years  ago  he  predicted  the  present 
rebellion  as  "the  inevitable  result  of  aristocratic  insti- 
tutions.    He  brought  the  light  of  a  clear  intelligence 


59 


to  the  elucidtation  of  every  public  question.  His  large 
historic  reading  furnished  him  with  precedents  and 
principles  for  present  guidance.  Though  a  man  of 
intense  feelings,  he  generally  subjected  his  ardor  to 
the  restraints  of  judgment.  His  feelings  were  the 
executive  of  his  reason.  He  advocated  strongly  be- 
cause he  saw  clearly  and  felt  deeply.  He  was  an 
ardent  partisan — but  only  in  the  higher  import  of  the 
term. 

Some  men  are  conservative  from  mere  facility  of 
disposition,  or  indifference  to  the  public  welfare;  but 
Mr.  Hoyt  was  radical  from  the  warmth  of  his  tem- 
perament and  his  vital  interest  in  every  question 
affecting  the  national  well-being.  He  saw  that  sys- 
tems of  policy  could  be  carried  into  execution  only 
through  the  instrumentality  of  parties,  and  that 
unity  and  energy  of  action  are  essential  to  political 
success.  Guided  by  this  philosophy,  he  took  sides 
with  all  the  ardor  of  his  nature.  He  was,  however, 
superior  to  party  attachments.  No  political  subser- 
viency ever  led  him  to  sacrifice  his  personal  independ- 
ence to  love  of  party ;  and  no  false  consistency,  which 
under  changing  conditions  exacts  unchanging  devo- 
tion, ever  restrained  his  political  freedom.  T  believe 
he  would  have  instantly  renounced  his  connection 
with  any  party  that  proved  faithless  to  its  principles. 

In  the  Constitutional  Convention,  Mr.  Hoyt  soon 
asserted  his  native  prominence.  He  spoke  on  ques- 
tions of  constitutional  reform  with  a  practical  ability, 
a  breadth  of  view,  and  a  clear  perception  of  the  re- 
mote consequences  of  untried  measures,  that  proved 
his  natural  fitness  for  public  pursuits.    The  Professor, 


40 


untrained  to  political  warfare,  met  in  equal  battle 
champions  disciplined  by  a  lifetime  of  political  ex- 
perience. He  had  encounters  with  ex-Governor 
Steele  and  Franklin  Pierce,  but  his  friends  were  par- 
tial enough  to  think  that  his  gallantry  in  debate  did 
not  suffer  vanquishment  in  these  forensic  tournaments. 

After  the  annexation  of  Texas,  Professor  no3't 
spoke  often  and  wrote  largely  on  political  subjects. 
But  his  political  discussions  were  mainly  limited  to 
the  moral  bearings  of  public  measures.  The  rank  and 
rapid  growth  of  political  profligacy  and  of  irreverence 
for  constitutional  obligations,  awakened  in  him  a  pro- 
found solicitude  for  the  welfare  of  our  country.  He 
delivered  indignant  philippics  against  corruption  in 
high  places,  and  strove,  by  the  most  vigorous  exertion 
of  tongue  and  pen,  to  arrest  the  course  of  public  im- 
morality. Editors,  committees,  politicians,  and  leaders 
of  conventions  were  constantly  availing  themselves 
of  his  able  pen  to  draft  resolutions  and  addresses,  to 
frame  political  measures,  and  to  define  the  policy  of 
his  jDarty.  Many  a  weighty  paper  upon  grave  politi- 
cal topics  which  was  supposed  to  emanate  from  other 
sources,  really  originated  in  the  thoughtful  brain  of 
the  Exeter  Professor.  The  influence  of  his  articles 
upon  the  yeomanry  of  New  Hampshire  was  marked 
and  salutary.  A  statesman,  eminent  in  the  public 
service,  assures  me  that  the  writings  and  speeches  of 
Professor  Hoyt  did  much  to  revolutionize  the  politics 
of  the  State,  and  that  for  vigor,  cogencj'  of  logic,  and 
purity  of  patriotism,  they  take  equal  rank  with  the 
productions  of  our  best  political  writers. 

Chancellor   Iloyt  was    an  ardent   patriot.     Every 


41 

chord  of  his  being  was  attuned  to  the  "  music  of  the 
Union,"  Ilis  loyalty  was  based  upon  the  broadest 
principles  of  civil  ethics.  His  patriotism,  enlightened 
by  historic  examples  and  by  profound  reflection  upon 
the  working  of  political  institutions,  was  of  the  heroic 
stamp.  Sam  Adams  had  not  a  sterner  sense  of  politi- 
cal duty.  His  devotion  to  the  Union  rested  upon  a 
clear  perception  of  the  sanctity  of  the  oath  of  allegi- 
ance, of  the  incomparable  excellence  of  our  polity, 
and  of  the  supreme  necessity  of  one  government  to 
the  prosperity  of  the  country.  He  thought  that 
under  existing  conditions  a  conquest  of  peace  could 
alone  furnish  a  permanent  cure  of  present  disorders. 
He  regarded  any  hope  of  public  welfare  in  a  dissevered 
Union  as  fatally  illusive,  and  considered  the  tempo- 
rary cessation  of  hostilities  which  would  spring  from 
a  dismemberment  of  our  Republic  as  only  the  prelude 
to  a  still  bloodier  drama.  He  believed  that  the  in- 
tegrity and  supremacy  of  the  Union  were  essential 
conditions  of  enduring  peace.  In  his  political  creed 
patriotism  was  akin  to  piety,  and  the  civil  duties  we 
owe  the  beneficent  Union  which  has  blessed  us  with 
constitutional  liberty  and  untold  material  wealth, 
were  only  second  in  sanctity  to  our  religious  obliga^    .  y 

tions.     ^.  ..  —  ^^  io-i:^^^ 

'  Mr.  Hoy t's  career  in  St.  Louis  is  well  known  to  //  ^-ft^ 
this  community.  His  appointment  as  Chancellor  of  ^ 
Washington  University,  the  fears  expressed  by  those 
ignorant  of  his  powers  that  he  might  not  prove  ad- 
equate to  the  responsible  duties  of  his  position,  the 
profound  impression  produced  by  his  inaugural,  the 
ease  and  skill  with  which  he  reorganized  the  Univer- 


42 


sity,  his  salutary  influence  upon  the  young  men  under 
his  charge,  the  ability  of  his  public  lectures,  the  at- 
tractions of  character  with  which  he  magnetized 
strangers  into  friends,  his  brave  resistance  to  the 
forces  of  disease,  his  surrender  of  life,  at  first  reluct- 
ant, as  if  the  work  of  life  were  not  done,  at  last  re- 
signed in  Christian  submission  to  the  divine  will, — 
these  are  the  pleasing  and  tearful  incidents  of  his 
brief  Western  history.  It  was  fortunate  for  the  fame 
of  Mr.  Hoy  t  that  he  was  the  first  Chancellor  of  Wash- 
ington University.  He  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the 
institution  during  its  formative  period,  and  under 
conditions  favorable  to  the  exercise  of  his  great  organ- 
izing and  executive  powers.  The  institution  which 
he  found  an  academy  he  left  a  university.  Probably 
no  man  will  ever  again  in  its  history  eflfect  so  wide/ 
a  change^  ^^n  enterprise,  everywhere  arduous^  was 
""Here  made  peculiarly  difficult  by  the  habits  of  Western 
life.  The  young  men  of  the  West  are  impatient  of 
the  restraints  of  studious  life,  and  anxious  to  enter 
upon  the  active  employments  of  business.  Western 
youth  do  not  generally  believe  that  the  study  of  the 
classics,  or  of  the  higher  mathematics,  is  conducive  to 
their  success  in  life.  But  happiness  and  usefulness 
are  the  grand  ends  of  life,  and  what  more  contributes 
to  human  enjoyment  and  utility  than  the  cultivated 
tastes  and  resources  of  literature  and  science?  How 
many  of  the  battles  of  armies  and  logicians  might 
have  been  avoided,  if  the  combatants  had  understood 
the  secret  force  and  nice  distinctions  of  words!  The 
study  of  language  is  the  investigation  of  the  latent 
import  and  structural  relations  of  words — of  the  phi- 


43 


losopby  of  speech ;  while  the  study  of  mathematics  is 
a  scientific  examination  of  the  laws  and  numerical 
conditions  under  which  the  operations  of  nature  are 
conducted.  He  is  a  bold  man  who  will  venture  to 
assert  that  a  knowledge  of  the  natural  sciences — 
which  explain  the  phenomena  of  universe  —  and  of 
language — which  determines  the  offices  of  words  and 
the  laws  of  human  thought — is  unimportant  to  the 
well-being  of  society.  The  thoughts  of  retired  scholars 
have  again  and  again  revolutionized  the  commerce  of 
the  world,  and  created  arts  and  trades  which  have 
blessed  mankind  with  prosperity  and  increase  of  hap- 
piness. The  commercial  and  industrial  world  is  not 
sufficiently  sensible  of  its  obligations  to  learning. 
The  power  of  careful  investigation  and  of  disciplined 
thought  which  habits  of  study  cultivate,  is  capable  of 
transfer  and  of  application  to  whatever  profession  the 
scholar  adopts. 

These  simple  truths,  which  I  have  interrupted  my 
line  of  thought  to  suggest,  are  generally  ignored  by 
Western  students.  They  forget  that  they  reject  the 
highest  elements  of  practical  success  and  refined  en- 
joyment. But,  at  all  events,  this  eagerness  of  scholars 
to  leave  the  halls  of  learning  for  the  duties  of  active 
life,  was  one  of  the  most  formidable  obstacles  the 
Chancellor  had  to  encounter  in  his  efforts  to  establish 
the  University. 

Another  embarrassment  was  the  immaturity  of  the 
students.  A  university  cannot  be  made  of  mere  lads. 
The  studies  of  a  university  course  require  for  their 
mastery  the  maturity  of  an  adult  understanding.  This 
difficulty  arose  partly  from  the  reluctance  of  young 


44 

men  to  spend  their  time  in  literary  pursuits,  and 
partly  from  the  location  of  the  University  in  the  city. 
The  students  of  country  colleges  are  generally  older 
than  those  of  city  colleges.  The  unwillingness  of 
parents  to  subject  themselves  to  the  expense,  or  their 
sons  to  the  temptations,  of  city  life,  is  a  sufficient  ex- 
planation of  this  fact.  But  whatever  the  cause,  the 
unwelcome  fact  was  not  the  less  a  stubborn  difficulty, 
which  the  success  of  the  University  required  the  Chan- 
cellor to  overcome.  Is  it  overstepping  the  modesty  of 
truth  to  say  that  he  succeeded?  By  speech  and  pen, 
and  the  inlluence  of  his  own  example,  he  did  much  to 
correct  the  false  views  of  education  which  the  youth 
of  St.  Louis  entertained.  He  reorganized  the  institu- 
tion, and  infused  his  own  system  and  scholarship 
into  every  department.  The  obstacles  which  he  sur- 
mounted were  sufficient  to  deter  men  of  less  dauntless 
purpose  from  the  undertaking.  But  he  succeeded  in 
organizing  an  institution  which  he  fondly  hoped  would 
be  the  permanent  seat  of  sound  scholarship,  polite 
learning,  and  Christian  culture.  The  gratitude  of 
this  community  is  due  to  Chancellor  Hoyt  for  his 
important  services  in  behalf  of  Western  education. 

From  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  Mr.  Hoyt  enjoyed  a 
degree  of  popularity  and_affection  which  only  the  most 
happily  constituted  natures  can  ever  secure. 

When  in  college,  some  of  the  members  of  his  divi- 
sion used  to  go  to  him,  with  a  regularity  that  amounted 
to  a  habit,  to  get  him  to  translate  their  difficult  pas- 
sages and  solve  their  hard  problems.  Their  expecta- 
tion of  help  was  never  disappointed.  He  aided  them 
with  a  cheerful  readiness  which  never  paused  to  think 


45 

that  this  generous  assistance,  which  consumed  many 
valuable  hours  of  study  and  placed  inferior  minds 
upon  a  comparative  equality,  might  injure  his  rank 
in  the  estimation  of  the  Faculty.  The  moral  heroism 
which  saved  the  life  of  a  student  at  the  imminent  risk 
of  his  own,  the  physical  courage  which  taught  the 
college  bully  a  painful  lesson  of  civility,  and  the  kind- 
ness which  was  willing,  at  any  sacrifice  of  time,  to 
interrupt  the  most  exigent  engagements  in  order  to 
help  duller  or  less  industrious  students,  enthroned 
him  high  in  the  affections  of  his  classmates. 

In  the  society  of  which  he  was  a  member,  the  polit- 
ical discussions  were  often  violent  and  stormy.  In 
the  parliament  of  the  Brothers  in  Unity,  the  debates 
were  at  times  scarcely  less  exciting  and  angry  than 
those  which  shook  the  halls  of  Congress  and  agitated 
the  nation.  Mr.  Hoyt  mingled  in  these  discussions, 
which  occasionally  became  fiercely  sectional,  with  a 
display  of  forensic  ability  and  a  fearlessness  in  the 
utterance  of  his  sentiments,  that  commanded  the  re- 
spect of  both  parties.  On  one  occasion,  the  debate 
terminated  in  a  personal  encounter  between  a  North- 
ern and  a  Southern  student.  Mr.  Hoyt  was  chosen 
by  the  Southron  to  bear  to  his  antagonist  the  olive- 
branch  of  reconciliation.  This  friendly  oflice  of  medi- 
ator was  peculiarly  grateful  to  his  feelings.  Pages  of 
general  delineation  would  not  show  so  plainly  as  this 
agreeable  incident,  the  estimation  in  which  his  candor 
and  good  nature  were  held  by  his  classmates. 

In  the  relation  of  instructor,  strong  feelings  of  per- 
sonal friendship  always  subsisted  between  him  and 
the  students  under  his  charge.    I  have  never  known  a 


46 


teacher  who,  without  courting  popularity,  was  equally 
able  to  secure  the  personal  affections  of  his  scholars. 
An  utter  hate  of  shams;  a  desire  to  be  taken  for  just 
what  he  was;  the  entire  absence  from  his  nature  of 
anything  like  deceit;  his  large  powers  and  attain- 
ments; his  faithful  and  learned  instruction;  the  wise 
and  kindly  advice  which  always  convinced  his  stu- 
dents that  their  teacher  was  their  friend,  are  qualities 
that  never  failed  to  endear  him  to  his  classes. 

And  in  his  general  intercourse  with  the  world,  a 
marked  degree  of  public  favor  always  attended  him. 
His  lectures  were  universally  popular.  The  press 
treated  him  with  a  courtesy  prompted  by  respect  for 
his  character.  If  criticisms  were  aimed  at  his  polit- 
ical views,  the  edge  was  blunted  by  expressions  of 
personal  regard.  His  powers  of  genial  and  brilliant 
conversation  made  him  the  delight  of  the  social  circle. 
Through  all  the  letters  which  Mr.  Hoyt  received  from 
his  friends,  there  breathes  a  common  sentiment  of 
strong  and  sincere  affection. 

It  requires  no  careful  analysis  of  Chancellor  Hoyt's 
character  to  determine  the  elements  of  his  popularity. 
The  qualities  which  insured  it  are  at  once  apparent. 
His  genial  nature,  his  singular  simplicity  and  trans- 
parency of  character,  his  cordiality  unalloyed  with 
hypocrisy,  and  his  native  strength,  in  which  there 
was  no  element  of  pretension,  secured  for  him  general 
esteem  and  friendship. 

Chancellor  Hoyt  hated  pretense  with  the  intensity 
of  Carlyle.  From  the  very  depths  of  his  soul  he  de- 
tested every  form  of  deceit  and  insincerity.  His  own 
nature,  pure  beyond  suspicion,  was 


47 

"Too  conscious  of  right  for  endurance  of  wrong." 

His  indignation  kindled  over  even  the  fictions  of 
hypocrisy,  and  burned  with  generous  heat  at  the 
reality. 

A  clear  head  and  a  good  heart  are  always  valid 
titles  to  our  respect  and  affection.  It  was  upon  these 
traits  of  character  that  Chancellor  Hoyt's  popularity 
rested. 

Chancellor  Hoyt  loved  the  "luxury  of  doing  good." 
He  was  the  warm  friend  of  indigent  merit.  His  heart 
was  always  touched  at  the  sight  of  penniless  and  un- 
friended genius.  Girard  once  said  he  pitied  a  poor 
woman  fifteen  dollars.  Mr.  Hoyt's  friendship  was  of 
the  same  practical  character.  Many  a  noble  youth, 
oppressed  with  the  burden  of  poverty,  was  enabled  by 
his  generosity  to  continue  his  studies.  Among  the 
graduates  of  Exeter,  there  are  many  who  are  largely 
indebted  to  Professor  Hoyt  for  their  opportunities  of 
culture.  In  his  last  sickness,  he  often  sent  the  luxu- 
ries intended  for  himself  to  the  tables  of  the  destitute, 
and  gave  material  aid  to  loyal  men  whom  the  ravages 
of  civil  war  had  despoiled  of  their  property.  Limited 
means  did  not  deprive  him  of  the  virtue  of  generosity. 
Benevolence  is  not  to  be  estimated  by  the  magnitude 
of  the  gift.  Few  men  were  more  liberal,  in  proportion 
to  their  resources,  than  Mr.  Hoyt.  He  loved  to  set 
smiles  where  fortune  had  placed  frowns — to  erase 
from  care-worn  brows  the  "crooked  autograph"  of 
misery,  and  inscribe  instead  the  smiling  signatures 
of  happiness. 

One  of  the  grandest  elements  in  Chancellor  Hoyt's 


48 

character  was  a  large-hearted  humanity.  The  cir- 
cumstances of  his  early  life  were  humble.  He  worked 
on  the  farm  till  he  was  eighteen.  He  was  a  laboring 
man  all  his  years.  lie  knew  the  feelings  and  wants 
of  the  toiling  masses.  He  believed  in  the  dignity 
of  labor.  He  sympathized  with  working  men.  He 
thought  the  residence  of  virtue  was  in  the  hearts  of 
the  yeomanry,  and  in  their  hands  the  destinies  of  the 
country.  Labor,  the  general  necessity  of  the  race,  he 
regarded  as  the  prime.  Heaven-ordained  condition  of 
intellectual  growth,  social  progress,  and  public  virtue. 
Hence  he  looked  with  utter  abhorrence  upon  all  insti- 
tutions which  tend  to  breed  a  contempt  for  labor,  and 
to  establish  an  aristocracy  of  idle  wealth  and  political 
corruption.  That  famous  line,  in  which  Terence  ex- 
pressed his  sympathy  with  the  whole  brotherhood  of 
man,  was  with  Chancellor  Hoyt  a  living  sentiment, 
inwrought  into  the  very  texture  of  his  being,  and  per- 
vading, with  its  fine  humanity,  the  conduct  of  his 
daily  life.  He  rested  his  principles  upon  the  founda- 
tions of  eternal  right,  well  knowing  that  the  agitations 
of  transient  passion  and  prosperous  crime  could  not 
shake  them.  His  philosophy  contemplated  not  the 
aggrandizement  of  guilty  patricians,  but  the  welHire  of 
the  race;  and  not  alone  the  issues  of  the  present  hour, 
but  the  interests  of  future  generations. 

The  religious  views  of  Chancellor  Hoyt  were  broad 
and  tolerant,  and  based  upon  a  careful  study  of  the 
Scriptures.  He  had  read  the  New  Testament  several 
times  in  the  original,  and  amended  translations  which 
he  deemed  incorrect.  He  knew  by  heart  all  those 
passages  which  theologians  quote  in  support  of  par- 


49 

ticular  creeds.  His  faith  was  not  circumscribed  by 
the  narrow  bounds  of  a  sectarian  ritual.  He  always 
considered  honest  and  enlightened  convictions,  how- 
ever different  from  his  own,  entitled  to  respect.  He 
thought  that  diversity  of  belief  was  the  natural  result 
of  education,  temperament,  and  organization.  While, 
therefore,  he  was  inflexible  in  his  own  views  of  reli- 
gious duty,  he  was  tolerant  of  all  honest  difference  of 
opinion.  He  believed  that  the  Divine  Mind  accepted 
the  homage  of  every  devout  heart  under  whatever 
peculiarities  of  form  that  worship  was  offered.  His 
liberal  theology  did  not  permit  him  to  think  that  all 
without  the  pale  of  his  own  denomination  were  guilty 
of  fatal  error.  He  thought  that  organic  differences 
necessarily  led  to  various  conceptions  of  moral  obliga- 
tions and  to  diverse  systems  of  worship.  The  quali- 
ties of  the  Divine  character  which  he  loved  to  dwell 
upon  were  justice,  love,  and  mercy.  When  Mr.  Ho3't 
was  in  college,  an  incident  occurred  which  seriously 
modified  his  spiritual  views.  In  a  written  discussion, 
assigned  by  the  Faculty,  it  fell  to  his  lot  to  maintain 
the  affirmative  of  the  question,  "Is  the  soul  material?" 
The  careful  preparation  which  he  made  for  this  de- 
bate strongly  drew  his  attention  to  the  corporeal 
modifications  of  the  spirit.  He  observed  the  influence 
which  food,  climate,  and  physiological  peculiarities 
exert  over  man's  spiritual  nature,  and  was  led  to  at- 
tribute too  great  a  dependence  of  spiritual  phenomena 
upon  material  conditions.  Mr.  Hoyt  was  never,  at 
any  period  of  life,  a  materialist.  The  gross  doctrines 
which  regard  the  soul  as  a  mere  condition  of  matter 
were  repugnant  to  his  philosophy.     He  conceived  of 

4 


50 


the  human  spirit  as  essentially  distinct  from  matter, 
and  endowed  with  a  life  which  the  death  of  the  body 
could  not  destroy.  But  a  belief  in  the  immortality  of 
the  soul  is  incompatible  with  the  cheerless  theories  of 
materialism.  Mr.  Hoyt's  mistake  consisted  solely  in 
ascribing  to  man's  physical  constitution  an  excessive 
influence  over  his  spiritual  nature.  But,  at  worst, 
his  error  was  only  an  exaggeration  of  physical  and 
psychological  truths  which  we  all  admit.  The 
calmer  judgment  of  mature  years  corrected  the  errors 
of  early  days,  and  gave  a  truer  conception  of  man's 
spiritual  life.  I  do  not  think  that  Mr.  Hoyt's  nature 
was  richly  endowed  with  the  feeling  of  reverence. 
But  he  who  considers  a  want  of  veneration  incon- 
sistent with  a  firm  belief  in  the  existence  of  a  creative 
intelligence,  has  never  thought  soundly  on  the  phe- 
nomena of  mind.  Reverence  springs  from  the  feel- 
ings, but  belief  in  the  existence  of  a  Supreme  Being 
is  the  deduction  of  the  reason.  The  one  is  emotional, 
the  other  intellectual,  and  there  is  no  logical  and  con- 
stant relation  between  them.  To  Mr.  Hoyt's  love  of 
wit  and  controversy,  to  his  hate  of  affectation  and 
hypocrisy,  to  that  candor  which  freely  spoke  the 
thoughts  most  men  would  conceal,  is  doubtless  to  be 
ascribed  much  that  bore  the  semblance  of  irreverence. 
In  the  presence  of  these  great,  overshadowing  traits, 
even  large  veneration  would  appear  small.  Beside 
the  Alps,  common  mountains  lose  their  grandeur.  T 
have  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Hoyt's  excessive  desire  to 
avoid  every  appearance  and  suspicion  of  cant  led  him 
to  do  injustice  to  his  religious  feelings.  Besides,  we 
ought  not  to  estimate  a  man's  spiritual  character  by 


51 


unconsidered  expressions  uttered  in  moments  of  gayety 
and  social  dispute,  but  by  the  sober  judgments  formed 
by  mature  reflection. 

Mr.  Hoyt's  mental  constitution  and  professional 
studies  led  him  to  prefer  the  exact  sciences.  His 
mind,  by  nature  and  habit,  sought  to  demonstrate 
every  truth.  As  a  scholar,  he  relied  more  upon  logic 
than  upon  faith.  Speculations,  unsusceptible  of  proof, 
were  distasteful  to  his  mathematical  intellect.  And 
if,  in  the  years  of  health,  and  even  in  the  earlier 
periods  of  his  illness,  he  carried  this  spirit  of  philo- 
sophic inquiry  into  matters  of  religion,  it  ought  to  ex- 
cite no  surprise.  Is  it  strange  that  a  man  should  use  the 
strongest  powers  God  has  given  him?  Is  it  wonderful 
that  a  nature  essentially  mathematical  should  seek  to 
prove  its  priceless  hopes  ?  No  scientific  doubts  ever 
shook  Chancellor  Hoyt's  faith  in  a  Divine  Being.  He 
only  sought  to  establish  his  belief  by  positive  evidence. 
His  clear  intelligence  recognized  the  logical  necessity' 
of  a  prime  cause.  Years  ago  he  wrote,  "  I  never  en- 
tertained an  unbelieving  doubt  of  the  divine  authority 
and  transforming  efficacy  of  the  Christian  religion." 
As  he  drew  near  the  dark  veil  which  curtains  from 
mortal  view  the  mysteries  of  eternal  life,  he  was  led, 
by  solemn  meditations  upon  religious  subjects,  to  re- 
pose with  a  more  unquestioning  trust  upon  the  conso- 
lations of  faith.  In  a  late  interview,  while  he  already 
stood  upon  the  threshold  of  eternity  and  was  about 
to  pass  into  the  inner  courts  of  the  temple  of  life,  he 
expressed,  with  impressive  earnestness,  his  firm  belief 
in  the  great  truths  of  our  religion.  While  he  dis- 
coursed upon  these  sacred  themes,  his  eye  kindled,  his 


< 


52 

pale  clieek  flushed,  and  his  voice  rose  from  feeble 
■whispers  to  almost  its  wonted  fullness.  It  seemed  as 
though  his  face  was  lighted  up  with  the  radiance  of 
immortal  hopes.  His  words,  uttered  in  full  view  of 
the  solemn  realities  of  another  life  amid  which  he 
»  was  soon  to  stand,  appeared  like  the  dying  eloq^uence 
i^Jt^J  '  of  a  Christian  Socrates.  ■  He  closed  a  long  con  versa" 
tion  upon  man's  spiritual  nature  and  destiny  with 
these  words:  "I  die  a  believer  in  the  Christian  reli- 
gion. The  three  cardinal  points  of  my  faith  are  a 
belief  in  a  living  God — in  distinction  from  an  abstract 
law — in  the  immortality  of  the  human  soul,  and  in 
man's  personal  accountability  to  his  Maker.  I  have 
tried  to  lead  a  pure  life,  and  to  serve  God  by  benefit- 
ing man.  '  He  that  loveth  not  his  brother  whom  he 
hath  seen,  how^  can  he  love  God  whom  he  hath  not 
seen  ?' 

"I  do  not  agree  with  that  ancient  definition  of 
eternal  life  which  restricted  the  intelligence  of  the 
soul  to  a  mere  consciousness  of  its  experiences  in  this 
world,  nor  do  I  adopt  the  Platonic  conception  of  a 
spirit  emanating  from  the  Deity  and  absorbed  again 
at  death  into  the  Divine  nature;  but  I  do  believe  in 
an  active,  individual,  progressive  life  after  death. 
God's  existence  and  man's  immortality  are  the  twin 
pillars  of  our  faith — these  are  the  great  central  facts 
from  which  all  the  other  truths  of  our  Christianity 
are  derived.  Religion  is  a  many-voiced  psalm  of 
thanksgiving — the  anthem  of  a  pious  life  in  adoration 
of  our  Heavenly  Father." 

A  few  days  before  his  death,  and  at  his  request,  tlie 
holy  sacrament  was  administered  to  him  in  the  prcs- 


yy^ 


U  ^/     t  ^   It 


53 


ence  of  his  family.  He  died  in  communion  with  the 
Trinitarian  Congregational  Church,  of  which  he  had 
been  a  member  for  thirty  years. 

The  students  of  the  University  will  learn  with  sad 
satisfaction  the  affectionate  interest  the  dying  Chan- 
cellor took  in  their  welfare.  His  classes  never  ceased 
to  be  the  objects  of  his  tender  solicitude.  He  spoke 
with  evident  gratification  of  the  kindlj'  relations  which 
had  always  existed  between  him  and  the  students, 
and  dwelt  with  pleasure  upon  the  cordiality  with 
which  the  members  of  the  institution  had  co- 
operated with  him  in  his  efforts  for  their  advance- 
ment. He  was  anxious  to  the  last  to  ascertain  the 
standing  and  relative  progress  of  the  students.  In 
his  last  hours  he  summoned  some  of  the  students  to 
his  bedside,  invoked  the  blessing  of  Heaven  upon 
them,  and  bade  them  a  solemn  farewell.  His  desire 
still  to  preside  over  the  destinies  of  the  University 
was  one  of  the  strongest  causes  of  his  attachment  to 
life.  With  hopeful  augury  he  predicted  for  Wash- 
ington University  a  career  of  illustrious  usefulness. 
Even  in  the  unquiet  slumbers  which  brought  occa- 
sional relief  from  suffering,  his  mind  revisited  the 
classic  scenes,  and  again  solved  for  the  perplexed 
student  the  problems  of  language. 

In  the  illusive  health  of  dreams  he  rejoiced  in  the 
recovery  which  enabled  him  to  return  to  pleasant 
duties,  and  again  provide  for  the  well-being  of  the 
University.  In  one  of  these  restless  reveries  he  imag- 
ined himself  at  the  University  engaged  in  the  conduct 
of  his  recitation,  and  remarked  to  his  class,  "  Well, 
students,  I  am  reg-dy."     These  words  may  well  ex- 


54 


press  a  higher  thought — the  serene  resignation  which 
succeeded  his  early  unwillingness  to  leave  the  great 
enterprises  of  life  unfinished. 

The  students  of  the  University  may  borrow  from 
the  Chancellor's  character  valuable  lessons  for  their 
own  direction.  Emulating  his  noble  manhood  and 
Christian  culture,  they  will  remember  that  talent 
without  nurture  is  insufficient,  that  the  hunger  of 
genius  must  be  fed  by  the  strengthening  nutriment  of 
labor,  and  that  scholarly  excellence  is  secondary  to 
manly  virtue. 

Chancellor  Hoyt  manifested  great  discretion  and 
delicate  tact  in  his  official  intercourse  with  associate 
teachers.  He  often  said  that  the  Faculty  of  an  insti- 
tution should  be  a  unit,  acting  in  harmony  for  the 
accomplishment  of  a  common  result ;  and  he  secured 
this  result  by  a  wise  management  which  compelled 
approval,  and  by  a  sympathetic  co-operation  which 
made  his  colleagues  his  personal  friends.  His  saga- 
city and  his  enthusiasm  inspired  them  with  one 
spirit  and  a  common  aim.  No  teacher  ever  applied 
to  him  for  counsel  or  redress  in  vain.  No  instructor 
ever  complained  to  him  of  any  violation  of  discipline 
without  the  offender  having  immediate  occasion  to 
regret  the  commission  of  the  offense.  Nothing  pro- 
voked him  to  sterner  rebuke  than  the  presumption  of 
a  student  to  disregard  the  authority  of  a  subordinate 
teacher.  This  hearty  support  of  fellow-officers,  to- 
gether with  his  straightforward  dealing  and  genial 
intercourse,  always  bound  them  to  him  with  feelings 
of  grateful  attachment.  But  the  Chancellor  thought 
the  obligation  of  gratitude  rested  upon  himself.     He 


55 


often  expressed  his  sense  of  great  obligation  to  the 
Professors  of  the  University  for  their  friendly  and 
efficient  co-operation. 

He  was  also  deeply  mindful  of  his  indebtedness  to 
the  Board  of  Directors,  and  recalled  with  frequent 
acknowledgments  their  many  proofs  of  personal  kind- 
ness, their  munificent  liberality  to  the  University, 
and  their  hearty  support  of  his  measures  and  policy. 

In  his  latest  hours,  when  the  pallor  of  death  was 
already  on  his  brow.  Chancellor  Hoyt  spoke  with 
heartfelt  emotion  of  the  kindness  of  his  St.  Louis 
friends.  In  feeble  and  broken  whispers,  he  regretted 
his  inability  to  express  for  himself  his  deep  sense  of 
obligation.     He  proved  himself  worthy  of  favors  by 

his^grateful  appreciation  of  them^^_^ _„ 

.("'""DiVing  his  residence  in  this  city,  his  independent 
manhood  and  frankness  of  character  secured  him  many 
friends'^  and  through  all  the  months  of  his  protracted 
/  illness, -these  admirers,  whom  the  i^obility  of  his  na- 
ture had  won,  omitted  no  act  of  delicate  and  kindly 
attention.  Though  his  ftimily  ministered  to  his  wants 
with  untiring  solicitude,  and  thoughi  his  wife,  with  a 
devotion  that  forgot  fatigue  and  couHed  self-sacrifice 
in  the  service  of  affection,  strove  to  Anticipate  0very 
wish  and  to  assuage  every  pang,  yet' his  friends,  un- 
willing to  be  deprived  of  this  opportunity  of  showing 
their  sense  of  his  worth,  were  unremitting  in  trjibutes 
of  generous  civility.  While  still  able  to  seek  recrea- 
tion in  the  open  air,  carriages  were  placed  at  his  dis- 
posal. When  no  longer  strong  enough  to  leave  his 
room,  rich  flowers,  from  friendly  hands,  shed  their 
fragrance  in  the  sick-chamber.    Rare  and  costly  medi- 


56 


cines  were  brought  from  foreign  lands  to  alleviate  his 
sufferings.  Delicacies  from  many  a  home  gratified 
every  mood  of  appetite.  Graceful  tokens  of  remem- 
brance were  sent  to  him  from  scenes  of  festivity,  to 
show  that  even  in  hours  of  gayety  he  was  not  forgot- 
ten. And  finally,  this  community Jionor^  hi^-H^t^rtTT}" 
productions  with,  a  generous  patrguage.  I  Wave  no 
doubt  that  these  gentle  oflices,  unsought  bpt  grate- 
ful, smoothed  the  painful  pathway  he  was/ treading. 
Friendship  soothed,  with  its  tender  services,  the  an- 
guish of  his  sick-bed;  and  sympathy  encoQraged  him, 
by  tokens  of  affectionate  regard,  to  believe  that  there 
were  those  who  were  not  insensible  oChis  worth  nor 
indifferent  to  his  fate. 

For  all  these  delicate  courtesies,  for  all  these  minis- 
tries of  kindness,  I  tender  to  the  friends  of  Chancellor 
Hoyt  his  dying  acknowledgments  of  gratitude. 

Only  those  who  have  known  the  privilege  and 
pleasure  of  Chancellor  Hoyt's  intimacy  can  fully  ap- 
preciate his  character  or  deplore  his  loss.  My  pen 
falters  in  the  narrative  of  our  personal  relations. 
"With  eyes  dim  with  emotion,  I  look  back  through 
the  pleasant  vistas  of  our  friendship.  Long  years 
ago,  as  a  student  of  Phillips'  Exeter  Academy,  I  be- 
came acquainted  with  Mr.  Hoyt.  I  remember,  as 
though  it  were  yesterday,  his  first  salutation.  The 
words  of  that  kind  greeting  linger,  like  music,  in  the 
memory  of  the  heart.  Stimulated  b}^  his  friendly 
encouragements,  I  gained  new  hopes  of  victory  in  the 
battle  of  life,  and  fresh  determination  to  redress  the 
wrongs  of  fortune.  The  friendsliip  which  began  be- 
tween the  humble  pupil  and  the  warm-hearted  teacher 
has  never  known  a  moment's  interruption.     It  would 


57 


require  an  eloquent  gratitude  to  recount  all  his  kind- 
nesses. His  personal  interest,  his  wise  advice,  his 
latcliless  hospitality,  his  quick  sympathy  and  cheerful 
encouragement  in  moments  when  life  looked  sunless, 
are  titles  to  my  grateful  regard,  which  Lethe  shall 
not  make  me  forget.  Mr.  Hoyt  was  by  no  means  ex- 
empt from  the  imperfections  of  our  frail  humanity;  he 
undoubtedly  had  his  faults;  but  we  gladly  forget  his 
few  defects  in  the  memory  of  his  many  excellences. 

We  mourn  a  public  loss.  Chancellor  Hoyt  fell  in 
the  pride  of  his  powers.  Had  his  life  been  prolonged 
to  the  bourn  of  divine  allotment,  I  feel  sure  he  would 
have  left  behind  him  still  greater  and  more  enduring 
monuments  of  public  usefulness.  He  was  ambitious 
to  leave  a  memory  which  good  men  might  cherish, 
and  a  fame  illustrious  for  public  service.  In  his  last 
days.  Chancellor  Hoyt  dwelt,  with  eloquent  regrets, 
upon  the  incompletion  of  his  plans  and  labors.  He 
spoke  of  his  schemes  for  the  advancement  of  the  Uni- 
versity, of  the  literary  enterprises  he  had  projected, 
and  of  the  lively  interest  he  felt  in  the  educational 
prosperity  of  St.  Louis  and  the  West.  The  unre- 
served consecration  of  his  great  powers  to  the  cause 
of  education,  and  his  success  in  his  brief  administra- 
tion of  Washington  University,  justified  expectations 
of  wide  and  eminent  usefulness.  But  that  career  of 
honorable  service  is  ended.  That  Christian  manhood, 
that  common  sense  enriched  with  liberal  discipline, 
that  noble  independence  of  the  accidents  of  fortune, 
that  proud  irreverence  for  titled  folly,  that  lofty  scorn 
for  every  shape  of  meanness,  that  instant  sympathy 
with  human  suffering,  that  native  affinity  with  ex- 
alted natures,  that  ardent  and  steadfast  friendship  is 


58 


now  but  a  recollection  and  an  influence.  The  noble 
example  is  left,  the  loved  exemplar  is  gone.  The 
charms  which  rendered  his  society  so  delightful  Init 
deepen  the  sorrows  of  our  bereavement.  Bereft  of  his 
genial  presence,  we  feel  oppressed  with  a  sense  of  soli- 
tude. Death  has  painfully  revealed  to  us  the  magni- 
tude of  our  loss.  The  gloom  of  the  cypress  has  suc- 
ceeded the  sunlight  of  friendship.  We  stand,  chill 
and  desolate,  in  the  shadow  of  a  great  grief. 

Who  could  witness,  without  emotion,  the  moral 
grandeur  of  the  death-scene?  The  soul,  weaned  from 
the  love  of  life  by  the  discipline  of  suiTering,  and 
quickened  by  disease  to  almost  spiritual  intelUgence, 
seemed  already  radiant  with  light  from  beyond  the 
grave.  The  well-ordered  household,  the  affections 
living  in  death  and  surviving  its  tortures,  the  im- 
pressive exhortations  to  religious  life,  the  tearful  fare- 
well to  the  members  of  his  family,  the  soul  conscious 
ill  dissolution  of  its  immortality  and  sustained  by  an 
unfaltering  trust,  repeated  the  solemn  triumph  of 
Addison's  death,  and  again  showed  the  sublime  forti- 
tude of  the  dying  Christian. 

We  shall  cherish  the  sacred  flame  of  his  remem- 
brance with  vestal  piety,  and  seek  guidance  from  the 
fragrant  grave  of  buried  friendship. 

"Thus  his  memory,  like  some  holy  light, 

Kept  alive  in  our  hearts,  will  improve  them, 
For  worth  shall  look  fairer,  and  truth  more  bright, 

When  we  think  how  he  lived  but  to  love  them. 
And  as  fresher  flowers  the  sod  perfume, 

Where  buried  saints  are  lying. 
So  our  hearts  shall  l)orrow  a  swcet'ning  bloom 

From  the  image  he  left  there  in  dying.'' 


59 


NOTE. 

x\t  a  meeting  of  the  Faculty  of  Washington  Uni- 
versity, on  the  morning  of  Chancellor  Iloyt's  decease, 
the  following  resolutions  were  adopted : — 

Resolved,  That  in  the  removal  of  the  late  Chancellor  Hoyt,  by 
death,  we  deeply  mourn  the  loss  of  a  wise  counselor,  a  generous 
colleague,  and  a  peerless  teacher. 

Resolved,  That  we  share  the  profound  sorrow  of  his  bereaved 
family,  and  tender  to  them  our  heartfelt  condolence  at  their  irrep- 
arable loss,  commending  them  to  the  care  of  Him  who  has  prom- 
ised His  special  favor  to  the  fatherless  and  the  widow. 

The  students  of  the  University  also  met,  and  unani- 
mously 

Resolved,  That  the  death  of  Chancellor  Hoyt  has  deprived  us 
of  an  able  instructor,  a  kind  guardian,  and  a  genial  friend. 

Resolved,  That,  in  this  hour  of  severe  and  solemn  affliction,  we 
tender  to  the  mourning  family  the  solace  of  our  sympathy,  and 
that  we  deplore,  with  a  grief  akin  to  their  own,  the  death  of  our 
beloved  Chancellor. 

And  on  a  subsequent  occasion,  the  Board  of  Direct- 
ors testified  their  sense  of  the  loss  the  University  had 
sustained  in  the  death  of  its  Chancellor,  by  the  adop- 
tion of  the  following  preamble  and  resolutions: — 

Whereas,  It  has  pleased  Almighty  God  to  remove  from  our 
midst  the  late  Chancellor  of  Washington  University,  Joseph  G. 
Hoyt,  while  in  the  prime  of  life  and  the  ripe  and  vigorous  exercise 
of  his  rare  powers ;  and 

Whereas,  It  is  fitting  that  the  records  of  this  institution  bear 
testimony  as  well  to  the  eminent  merits  of  the  departed — its  first 
Chancellor — as  to  their  earnest  appreciation  by  those  to  whom  its 
welfare  is  committed ;  be  it  therefore 

Resolved,  1st.  That  the  Directors  of  Washington  University 
deeply  deplore  the  loss  which  this  institution  and  the  cause  of  edu- 


60 


cation  has  sustained  in  the  death  of  Chancellor  Iloyt.  Gifted  with 
a  mind  of  unusual  vigor  and  clearness,  enriclied  by  ripe  scholarship 
and  varied  culture,  he  united  to  these  a  temper  so  genial,  so  fear- 
less, and  so  just,  and  a  judgment  so  mature  as  to  combine,  in  rare 
measure,  the  talent  of  felicitous  instruction  with  that  of  successful 
administration.  To  his  unwearied  and  cordial  devotion  to  its 
interests,  and  his  quick  and  clear  perception  of  its  needs,  is  largely 
due  the  success  which  the  University  has  thus  far  attained  ;  and 
whatever  measure  of  usefulness  may  in  the  future  attend  its  career, 
the  Directors  deeply  feel  that  upon  all  that  future  will  be  impressed 
the  stamp  of  his  character  and  his  labor. 

2d.  That  to  his  bereaved  family  the  Directors  tender  the  heart- 
felt tribute  of  their  sympathy  under  their  heavy  affliction. 

3d.  That  in  perpetual  memory  of  Chancellor  Hoyt,  and  of  the 
signal  ability  with  which  he  discharged  its  duties,  the  Professorial 
chair  in  the  University  heretofore  filled  by  him  be  henceforward 
styled  the  Hoyt  Professorship  of  Greek  Literature. 

4th.  That  these  resolutions  be  entered  upon  the  records  of  the 
corporation,  and  that  a  copy  be  sent  to  the  family  of  the  late 
Chancellor. 

On  the  morning  of  the  funeral,  the  Students  and 
Directors  of  tiie  University,  wearing  badges  of  mourn- 
ing, escorted  the  body  to  the  First  Trinitarian  Con- 
gregational Church,  where  the  funeral  services  were 
performed  by  the  Reverend  Doctors  Post  and  Eliot. 
A  plaintive  melody,  sung  by  the  University  Choir, 
added,  with  its  solemn  and  touching  strains,  to  the 
impressiveness  of  the  occasion.  The  procession  then 
moved  to  the  river,  where  the  students  bade  adieu  to 
the  form  of  their  beloved  Chancellor. 

The  body  was  carried  to  Exeter,  New  Hampshire, 
and  there,  after  piety  had  performed  the  final  obse- 
quies and  friendship  offered  its  last  homage,  it  was 
laid  in  a  retired  and  beautiful  spot,  wliich  years  ago 
Mr.  Iloyt  selected  as  his  long  resting-place. 


i 


